Downy chess, also known as downy brome, junegrass, and cheatgrass, attains 

 a height up to about 2 feet and is either an annual or summer annual, mean- 

 ing that the seeds often germinate in late summer or early fall allowing the 

 plants to grow and stool out before winter sets in. The plant is introduced 

 from Europe and has spread to a greater or less extent over portions of the 

 11 far western States except Arizona and New Mexico, occupying chiefly 

 plains, foothills, and intermountain valleys. Thus far, in California, it is 

 largely confined to the east side of the Sierras and the northeastern lava 

 plateau region but is gradually extending westward. It has not yet reached 

 coastal areas of Oregon and Washington. Downy chess does not grow in wet 

 places and seldom appears at high elevations or in the more arid, western 

 deserts. While its occupation of certain areas may be a result of continued 

 past overgrazing and depletion of better forage plants, it does not expel 

 established native species from the range nor prevent their return. 



Downy chess is, comparatively, one of the less palatable species of the 

 brome genus. Its short life, relatively sparse, hairy leafage, and high ratio 

 of unpalatable seed heads all militate against its usefulness. On the other 

 hand the species is so abundant locally that it supplies a considerable amount 

 of forage, especially on many intermountain ranges, and particularly on 

 many poorer sites where better plants do not occur. On several million acres 

 in the intermountain country it comprises the bulk of early spring grazing 

 for sheep, cattle, and horses. Thousands of sheep are lambed on downy 

 chess. It is ready to graze early in March on the lower areas, and remains 

 tender and palatable until about the middle of May when it begins to mature 

 and turns reddish. A week or two later it dries completely and becomes 

 straw-colored. On the higher foothills it is grazed from April to early June. 

 In the late summer and early fall the less abundant but relished new growth 

 appears. The livestock even consume some of the old herbage if it is sat- 

 urated thoroughly by late season rains. At several-year intervals downy 

 chess is attacked by a smut (Ustilago bromivora) which greatly reduces the 

 stand temporarily . on some areas although the grass reestablishes itself within 

 a year or two. In the better areas, where grazing is properly regulated and 

 fires are prevented, downy chess tends eventually to be largely replaced by 

 more valuable and permanent, perennial species. 



Although its roots are shallow and not extensive, downy chess is an im- 

 portant factor in erosion control where better plants do not occur. Both 

 observation and experiments show that, if ungrazed and unburned, dense 

 stands of downy chess will rather effectively hold the soil and check erosion. 



When the plants are dry they increase the fire hazard on many areas. 

 The sharp-pointed, bearded florets when about mature frequently injure 

 animals that graze downy chess or consume its hay. These "seeds" either singly 

 or in small wads work into the tongue and softer tissues of the mouth, causing 

 sores and infection. The eyes are also sometimes affected. The encroachment 

 of downy chess in orchards, gardens, and farms and its abundance in adjoining 

 waste places make it a weed pest under those conditions. 



Downy chess plants that stool have a bunchgrass appearance but there are 

 also many single or few-stemmed individuals. The roots are fine, plentiful, 

 and shallow. The slender stems grow 4 to 24 inches high. The flat, fairly 

 numerous leaves are one-eighth to three-sixteenths of an inch wide. The panicle 

 (seed head) is large, open, and drooping with the spikelets (groups of florets) 

 borne on very slender branches. The florets are from three-eighths to one-half 

 of an inch long, gradually tapering to a sharp point, and each has an untwisted 

 beard (awn) from three-eighths to five-eighths of an inch long. In typical 

 forms a soft down of fine, slender hairs covers the leaves and florets; the 

 variety nudus, however, is distinguished by the fact that the florets are smooth 

 and hairless. 



The specific name tectorum means "of roofs" [Latin teotum, roof] and is 

 reminiscent of the fact that in its original home in humid climates of the 

 Old World this grass is a familiar denizen of thatched roofs of houses. 



