Vascular Plants of North Carolina
Section: Common Name: Scientific Name: Family:
Account for Common Barley - Hordeum vulgare   L.
Members of Poaceae:
Members of Hordeum with account distribution info or public map:
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Section 5 » Order Cyperales » Family Poaceae
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AuthorL.
DistributionScattered across the state, apparently more numerous in the Sandhills, but expected almost anywhere.

Native of Eurasia; in N.A. mostly western, but scattered in the East.
AbundanceRare throughout; expected in other counties.
HabitatRoadsides, railroads, weedy fields, etc. Often planted as a winter cover and following roadside work.
PhenologyFlowering and fruiting May-July.
IdentificationCommon Barley grows up to 3 feet (or a bit more) tall, topped by a densely compact inflorescence 5-10 cm long of many spikelets. The last have long awns 30-180 mm (or unawned in one form). The long awns may be as long as those of Foxtail Barley (H. jubatum), but the leaf sheath auricles are up to 8 mm long (vs. less than 0.3 mm in Foxtail Barley).
Taxonomic CommentsOur plants are subsp. vulgare.

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State RankSE
Global RankGNR
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