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little barley

Habit Plants annual; loosely tufted.
Culms

10-60 cm, erect, geniculate, or ascending;

nodes glabrous.

Sheaths

glabrous or slightly pubescent;

ligules 0.2-0.8 mm;

auricles absent;

blades to 10.5 cm long, to 4.5 mm wide, sparsely to densely pubescent on both sides.

Spikes

2-9 cm long, 3-7 mm wide, erect, often partially enclosed at maturity, pale green.

Glumes

straight, not divergent at maturity.

Central

spikelets: glumes 8-17 mm long, 0.5-1.5 mm wide, distinctly flattened near the base;

lemmas 5-8.5 mm, usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely to densely pubescent, awned, awns 3.5-9.5 mm;

anthers 0.7-1.8 mm.

Lateral

spikelets usually sterile;

glumes to 18 mm;

lower glumes distinctly flattened, more or less winged basally;

lemmas 2.5-5.7 mm, usually awned, awns to 1.8 mm, rarely unawned;

anthers 0.6-1.2 mm.

2n

= 14.

Hordeum pusillum

Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC
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Discussion

Hordeum pusillum grows in open grasslands, pastures, and the borders of marshes, and in disturbed places such as roadsides and waste places, often in alkaline soil. It is native, widespread, and often common in much of the Flora region. Its range extends into northern Mexico, but it is not common there.

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

Source FNA vol. 24, p. 243.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Triticeae > Hordeum
Sibling taxa
H. arizonicum, H. brachyantherum, H. bulbosum, H. depressum, H. intercedens, H. jubatum, H. marinum, H. murinum, H. secalinum, H. vulgare
Synonyms Critesion pusillum
Name authority Nutt.
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