Common Soft Brome
Bromus hordeaceus
Also listed as Serrafalcus hordeaceus
Also known as Soft Brome, Soft Chess, Barley Brome
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Common soft brome is a cool-season annual or winter annual grass with soft, hairy leaves and nodding seed heads. It is often considered a weed in lawns and pastures but can tolerate poor soil conditions.
Why grow it
Common soft brome establishes quickly in cool seasons and tolerates poor or compacted soils where other grasses struggle, making it useful for temporary cover or erosion control in degraded areas. Its fine texture and early growth habit can outcompete more problematic weeds in disturbed sites, though it typically yields to perennial species over time. Unlike coarser annual brome species, its soft leaf blades make it more palatable to livestock when managed as a short-term forage crop.
Watch out for
This grass tends to peter out by late spring or early summer in most climates, so it requires reseeding if year-round cover is needed. Allowing plants to set seed freely can lead to volunteer seedlings in subsequent seasons, particularly in moist years or where soil is regularly disturbed.
Overview
- Form
- Growth Rate
- Size
- Dormancy
- Family
- Poaceae
Native Range
Mediterranean and Western Europe
Seasonality
Season of Interest
Herb
Soft non-woody plants of the field layer.
Succession Role
Tolerances & Soil
Flood Tolerance
Deer Resistance
Inferred from USDA browse palatability
pH Range
Soil Texture
Establishment & Care
- Establishment
- Maintenance
- Propagation
Common soft brome is a cool-season annual or winter annual grass with soft, hairy leaves and nodding seed heads. It is often considered a weed in lawns and pastures but can tolerate poor soil conditions.
Climate Match for your location
See how well Common Soft Brome grows in your area.
Enter your ZIP code and we'll show you how this plant fits your local climate.
Why grow it
Common soft brome establishes quickly in cool seasons and tolerates poor or compacted soils where other grasses struggle, making it useful for temporary cover or erosion control in degraded areas. Its fine texture and early growth habit can outcompete more problematic weeds in disturbed sites, though it typically yields to perennial species over time. Unlike coarser annual brome species, its soft leaf blades make it more palatable to livestock when managed as a short-term forage crop.
Watch out for
This grass tends to peter out by late spring or early summer in most climates, so it requires reseeding if year-round cover is needed. Allowing plants to set seed freely can lead to volunteer seedlings in subsequent seasons, particularly in moist years or where soil is regularly disturbed.
Overview
- Form
- Growth Rate
- Size
- Dormancy
- Family
- Poaceae
Native Range
Mediterranean and Western Europe
Seasonality
Season of Interest
Herb
Soft non-woody plants of the field layer.
Succession Role
Tolerances & Soil
Flood Tolerance
Deer Resistance
Inferred from USDA browse palatability
pH Range
Soil Texture
Establishment & Care
- Establishment
- Maintenance
- Propagation
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