Overview
Hordeum murinum is a tufted winter annual grass reaching 4-18 inches (10-45 cm) tall, occasionally to 24 inches (60 cm) in rich soil. Stems are slender and erect to spreading at the base, forming loose clumps. Leaf blades are flat, 1-5 inches (2.5-13 cm) long and up to 0.3 inch (8 mm) wide, with a thin fringed ligule and clasping auricles. Dense bristly flower spikes, 2-4 inches (5-10 cm) long, appear from April through June; each spikelet bears long rough awns 0.4-1.2 inches (1-3 cm) long that turn straw-colored at maturity. The spike breaks apart into barbed segments that cling to fur and clothing and carry the seed away. Plants finish their life cycle by early summer and dry to tan. The barbed awns can lodge in the eyes, mouths, and ears of grazing animals and pets, causing injury. Germination follows fall and winter rains, and a single plant produces several hundred seeds. Dry summer stems become a fire fuel in grasslands.
Native Range
Native to western Eurasia, North Africa, and the Mediterranean basin. Naturalized widely in temperate and Mediterranean regions worldwide, including much of North America, where it grows in disturbed ground, roadsides, pastures, and waste places below 5,000 feet (1,500 m).Suggested Uses
Not cultivated ornamentally; it occurs as a volunteer weed of disturbed sites. Occasionally grazed by livestock when young, before the awns harden. It has no managed garden use and is treated as a weed in most settings.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height4" - 1'6"
Width/Spread2" - 6"
Bloom Information
Detailed Descriptions
Flower Description
greenish, aging to strawFoliage Description
greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 6-12 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight
Water & Climate
Water Needs
