Hordeum murinum

Wall Barley

A wild patch of Wall Barley.

These plants are less than a foot tall.

You can see the seeds inside the seedhead of this annual grass.

The awned spikelets also have long awn-like glumes.

The awns and glumes are not as long as those of Foxtail Barley.

One spikelet is removed from the inflorescence.

Each spikelet has three florets with long glumes and even longer awns. All three florets are of equal size.

Wall Barley has auricles, unlike all other Arizona barleys. The example here is immature--the auricles will lengthen.

Roots of annual Wall Barley.

How to Identify Wall Barley

  All Barleys (Hordeum species) have true spikes--the spikelets are attached directly to the rachis. They all appear wheat-like. The spikelets come in threes, usually with one central spikelet that is larger (except Wall Barley and commercial Barley). There are two lateral infertile spikelets that usually look like awns, sometimes with wide, flattened bases. But Wall Barley spikelets are all about the same size--a threesome.

  Wall Barley is very common in cities; it is considered an invasive weed. Unlike all other barleys (except cultivated barley escapees), Wall Barley has auricles which can be over 1/8 inch long. Don't worry about escaped cultivated barley--it has sets of three huge, plump, spikelets, ready to eat. Wall Barley has both glumes and awns about an inch long. The glumes are sometimes hairy. But the auricles are the key.

Similar Species

  There are seven species of Hordeum in Arizona counting Hordeum vulgare, cultivated barley. All of them have inflorescences that are true spikes and all look wheat-like.
1. Hordeum murinum (this one, Wall Barley) is a common annual and has prominent auricles.
2. Hordeum jubatum (Foxtail Barley) is a common perennial and has super-long awns up to 3.5 inches. The glumes are very divergent into a V-shape at maturity.
3. Hordeum pusillum (Little Barley) is common and has short awns and glumes about 1/2 inch or less which remain straight and parallel at maturity. It is not especially little.
4. Hordeum brachyantherum (Meadow Barley) is a fairly common perennial and has short awns to 1/2 inch that diverge somewhat into a V-shape at maturity.
5. Hordeum arizonicum (Arizona Barley) has awns and glumes about an inch long. The glumes are divergent at maturity. The central spikelet is unusually large.
6. Hordeum marinum is uncommon in Arizona. Glumes have very wide bases and are about an inch long.
7. Hordeum vulgare (Barley) is the cultivated form. All three spikelets are very large and plump.