Hordeum jubatum

Foxtail Barley

A wild patch of Foxtail Barley. The bunched stems tend to stand straight up, unlike the fanned out stems of Squirreltail.

Closer view shows the tips of the seedheads are white. They nod in any breeze.

The nodding white tips look like awns but are actually glumes.

The awned spikelets are dense and the seeds tiny and hard to see. These are both Foxtail Barley.

Comparing Foxtail to Squirreltail. Foxtail doesn't show the "seeds" or spikelets, while you can see spikelets inside the Squirreltail.

This is Squirreltail, old and seedless. When dry it curls up like this.

How to Identify Foxtail Barley

  Hordeum jubatum is very common along roadsides in the spring in Arizona. It is usually under two feet high. Stands grow thickly along Arizona roads, blowing in the wind. Their beautiful white spikes blow sideways, while the stems below the spikes stay upright.

Similar Species

  A rather similar species in Arizona is Squirreltail, Elymus elymoides, compared on this page. More difficult is a comparison with the very much less common Arizona Barley (Hordeum arizonicum) which has shorter awns and whose spikes tend to stand erect instead of nodding like Foxtail. Wall Barley Hordeum murinum is considered a common urban weed. It is smaller and has shorter awns.