Hordeum vulgare L.
common barley
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
common barley
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Annual grass from fibrous roots; stems smooth, mostly 80-120 cm tall.
Leaves:
Sheaths open, smooth; blades mostly (5) 10-15 mm wide; ear-shaped lobes at leaf-bases well-developed; ligules 0.5-1 mm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a stout spike; spikelets 3 to a node, unstalked, well-developed and fertile; glumes narrow, usually awned; lemmas awned, the awns 10-15 mm long, sometimes unawned but more or less prominently 3-lobed at the tips.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
Yellow
Blooming Period:
Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Spring to Summer
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Hordeum vulgare
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
968 | 968 | 968 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
0 | ||
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
1 | 1 | 1 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
B | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
1 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
ICH | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
ICH(1) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Dry roadsides and waste areas in the lowland and montane zones; rare in SW and SC BC; introduced from Europe.Status Information
| Scientific Name | Origin Status | Provincial Status | BC List (Red Blue List) | COSEWIC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hordeum vulgare | Exotic | SNA | Exotic | Not Listed |
| Hordeum vulgare ssp. vulgare | SNA (2019) | Exotic | Not Listed |
BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer.
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Hordeum aegiceras Nees ex Royle
Hordeum distichon L.
Hordeum hexastichon L.
Hordeum hexastichum L. [orthographic variant]
Hordeum irregulare Aberg & Wiebe
Hordeum sativum Pers.
Hordeum vulgare subsp. hexastichon (L.) Bonnier & Layens
Hordeum vulgare var. trifurcatum (Schlecht.) Alef.