Little Barley

DESCRIPTION: Little Barley is a winter annual grass that ranges in height from 10-40cm. As a young grass it appears bluish-green and turns golden-brown when mature. It is a short, erect plant that resembles wheat or barley. The leaf sheaths are rounded and occasionally have tiny hairs on them. The leaves are rolled in the bud without auricles and the flowers are flattened spikes that brown when mature. It has a fibrous root system.

Little Barley is often a weed along the roadside and in pastures or hayfields in Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. It can be an indicator of disturbed sites, over-grazing and/or poor soil conditions. The plant flowers from March – June and is often easily identified by its grain-like seed head that distinguishes it from other winter annuals.

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://www.noble.org/imagegallery/grasshtml/LittleBarley.html

http://www.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/horpu.htm

 

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