The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

bulbous barley, charming barley (ssp. leporinum), foxtail barley, hare barley, mouse barley, mouse barley (ssp. murinum), seagreen barley (ssp. glaucum), smooth barley, wall barley

bulbous barley

Habit Plants annual; loosely tufted. Plants perennial.
Culms

to 110 cm, usually erect, sometimes almost prostrate;

nodes glabrous.

to 135 cm, erect or somewhat geniculate;

basal internodes usually bulbous, with 1-4 ellipsoid to pyriform bulbs per culm;

nodes glabrous.

Sheaths

glabrous or pubescent;

auricles well developed, to 5.5 mm;

blades to 6 mm wide, flat, scabrous, often also pubescent.

Spikes

3-8 cm long, 7-16 mm wide, pale green to distinctly reddish, especially the awns;

rachises disarticulating at maturity.

4.5-16.5 cm.

Lower

sheaths often completely surrounding the culms, glabrous or somewhat pilose;

ligules 1-4 mm;

auricles to 8 mm, well developed even on the upper leaves;

blades to 28 cm, usually flat, occasionally with involute margins, glabrous or sparsely pilose, sometimes scabrous.

Central

spikelets sessile, florets sessile or pedicellate, pedicels to 2 mm;

glumes 11-25 mm long, 0.8-1.8 mm wide, flattened, margins usually distinctly ciliate;

lemmas 8-14 mm long, to 2 mm wide, more or less smooth, awned, awns 20-40 mm;

lodicules glabrous or with 1+ cilia;

anthers 0.2-3.2 mm, gray to yellow, sometimes with purple spots.

spikelets subsessile;

glumes 10-25 mm, flattened near the base, margins more or less ciliate;

lemmas glabrous, awns 12-50 mm;

lodicules densely pilose;

anthers 4.5-10 mm, yellow to violet.

Lateral

spikelets staminate, floret sessile;

glumes flattened, margins ciliate;

lemmas 8-15 mm, awned, awns 20-50 mm;

paleas 8-15 mm;

rachillas 2.5-6.5 mm, slender or gibbous, yellow.

spikelets: lower glumes flattened near the base;

upper glumes setaceous;

lemmas usually unawned, sometimes awned, awns to 14 mm;

anthers to 9 mm.

2n

= 14, 28, 42.

= 14, 28.

Hordeum murinum

Hordeum bulbosum

Distribution
from FNA
AL; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; GA; ID; MA; MD; ME; MT; NC; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OK; OR; PA; SC; TX; UT; VA; WA; WY; HI; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Hordeum murinum is native to Eurasia, where it is a common weed in areas of human disturbance. It is thought to have originated around seasides, sandy riverbanks, and animal watering holes. It is now an established weed in the southwestern Flora region and other scattered locations. The records in Alaska are from the Anchorage area. Prostrate plants are associated with grazing. Three subspecies are recognized.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Hordeum bulbosum is native to the eastern Mediterranean and western Asia. In the Flora region, it is known as an occasional escape from breeding programs. In its native range it is found in a wide range of habitats, from wet meadows to dry hillsides, roadsides, and abandoned fields. It is one of two obligate outcrossers in the genus, H. brevisubulatum (Trin.) Link being the other.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Central spikelets sessile to subsessile; lemmas of the central florets subequal to those of the lateral florets, the awns longer than those of the lateral florets; paleas of the lateral florets almost glabrous
subsp. murinum
1. Central spikelets pedicellate; lemmas of the central florets from subequal to shorter than those of the lateral florets, the awns from shorter to longer than those of the lateral florets; paleas of the lateral florets scabrous to hairy.
→ 2
2. Lemmas of the central florets much shorter than those of the lateral florets; paleas of the lateral florets scabrous on the lower 1/2; anthers of the central and lateral florets similar in size
subsp. leporinum
2. Lemmas of the central florets about equal to those of the lateral florets; paleas of the lateral florets distinctly pilose on the lower 1/2; anthers of the central florets 0.2-0.6 mm long, those of the lateral florets 1.2-1.8 mm long
subsp. glaucum
Source FNA vol. 24, p. 250. FNA vol. 24, p. 252.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Triticeae > Hordeum Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Triticeae > Hordeum
Sibling taxa
H. arizonicum, H. brachyantherum, H. bulbosum, H. depressum, H. intercedens, H. jubatum, H. marinum, H. pusillum, H. secalinum, H. vulgare
H. arizonicum, H. brachyantherum, H. depressum, H. intercedens, H. jubatum, H. marinum, H. murinum, H. pusillum, H. secalinum, H. vulgare
Subordinate taxa
H. murinum subsp. glaucum, H. murinum subsp. leporinum, H. murinum subsp. murinum
Name authority L. L.
Web links