Welcome to Catnapin's

Grass Gallery

Poaceae, Pooideae, Triticeae - Barley

(Family, Subfamily, Tribe)

Waves of Grain Index - Grass

tribe Triticeae

Hare Barley (Wall Barley, Squirreltail Grass) Hordeum murinum ssp. leporinum (Hordeum leporinum)

Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, April 2005

(Introduced, native of the Mediterranean - Brown)

Base: annual, no rhizomes, no stolons (runner stem)

Blade (leaf): weak, 3-8mm wide, 6-15cm long, on culm up to the inflorescence

Auricles (ear shaped appendage): at base of blade, slender, pointed

Culm (main grain stem): thick, succulent, 15-60cm tall, sharp bends and decumbent at base

Inflorescence: dense, erect or nodding, 4-8cm long, 1cm wide excluding awns, often enclosed in a sheath

Spikelet: three large florets per spikelets

Glume: long awns 1-2.5cm long

Lemma: 6-12mm long to base of awns

Awns: 10-13mm long

Other Species In My Area

Fox-tail Barley (Squirreltail Grass) Hordeum jubatum

Fluffy nodding spikes 2"-4" long and almost as wide with long awns.  Green to purplish.

(Native of Texas - Shackelford)

Little Barley (Mouse Barley) Hordeum pusillum

Looks like Hordeum leporinum but with short awns.

(Native of Texas - Taylor, Shackelford, Callahan, Brown, Jones)

Common Barley (Grain Barley, Barley) Hordeum vulgare

Looks like Hordeum leporinum but short and very long awns.

(Introduced, native of the Mid-east - Jones)

Waves of Grain Index - Grass

Email    wildflowers"at"catnapin.com

to reduce spam, change "at" to @

please be specific