Little barley
| Plant Profile | |
|---|---|
| FYUSE 3D Image | Common Name: Little Barley |
Examples of Little Barley Hordeum pusillum Nutt.
| Plant Facts | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Native |
| Duration | Annual (or winter annual) |
| Season | Cool |
| Distribution in the U.S. | Central and southern Great Plains, scattered northward, in dry or alkaline soils, particularly in disturbed areas where competition from perennial plants is low |
| Distribution in Oklahoma | Throughout the state |
ID Characteristics
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Field Identification Characteristics
Vegetative
- Blunt membranous ligule
- Auricles
- Leaves are alternate, rough textured to softly hairy, flat and mostly erect
- Stems are unbranched, smooth; erect to ascending or the lower stem prostrate then rising at the lower node; stems are single to multiple from the base and form loose clumps
Floral
- V-notch at tip of seed heads
- Seed head long, erect and bristly (awned)
- Seed head with spikelets on two sides of stem
- 3 spikelets per node
Inflorescence
- Inflorescence is a raceme, spike-like, narrow, upright and dense.
-
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
- Plant Height: 15-45 centimeters
- Ligule Type: Membranous
- Sheath: Glabrous; round, smooth or with a few hairs
- Leaf Type: Simple
- Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
- Leaves: Basal and Cauline
- Stems: Erect to ascending, usually branched, surfaces pubescent with forked hairs
-
Inflorescence Characteristics
- Spikelet: 3 per node; florets 1; lemmas of lateral spikelets 1/2 to 1/3 as long as the lemma of the central spikelet
- Awns: Glumes of lateral spikelets awn-like, other glumes awned; lemma of central spikelet awned; lemmas of lateral spikelets short-awned
- Glumes: narrow at the base, wider above, rough to the touch
-
Floral Characteristics
- Florets Per Spikelet:1
- Glumes: Equal
- Flower Color: Yellow
- Flowering time: June-August
- Flower Shape: Indistinct
- Cluster Type: Spike
- Fruit Type: Seed without plume
| Habitat/Ecology | |
|---|---|
| Soil Type | Sterile gravel, sand and clay |
| Habitat | Dry prairies, graveled areas along roadsides, pastures, fallow fields, disturbed areas, sterile waste areas, right-of-ways and playgrounds |
| Successional Stage | Early |