276 Bromus hordeaceus L.

This species s. lat. is widely distributed in Europe and parts of Asia and N. America. Fl. Eur. 5/1980, p. 187 distinguishes four subspecies, int. al. subsp. hordeaceus (B. mollis L.) throughout the range of the species and subsp. thominii (Hard.) Maire & Weiller (B. hordeaceus L. sensu Holmberg), which is a seashore plant in NW. and W. Europe. Subsp. hordeaceus probably originates from C. Europe and the Mediterranean region, from where it was widely spread as a weed, for instance northwards to Fennoscandia. It has also been introduced into E. Asia, N. and S. America, Australia and New Zealand. It has now an incompletely circumpolar distribution (Hultén, Circumpol. I, p. 208 and map 198).