Poaceae
Hordeum

Hordeum spontaneum K.Koch

First published in Linnaea 21: 430 (1848)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is E. Medit. to Central Asia and China (Sichuan, Yunnan). It is an annual and grows primarily in the subtropical biome.

Descriptions

Morphology General Habit
Perennial; caespitose. Culms erect, or geniculately ascending; 35-70 cm long. Leaf-sheath oral hairs lacking. Leaf-sheath auricles falcate. Ligule an eciliate membrane. Leaf-blades 5-16 cm long; 4-8 mm wide. Leaf-blade surface smooth, or scabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence composed of racemes. Racemes 1; single; linear; bilateral; 4-9 cm long; 6-8 mm wide. Rhachis fragile at the nodes; flattened; ciliate on margins. Spikelet packing broadside to rhachis. Rhachis internodes oblong; 3.5-5 mm long; falling with spikelet above. Spikelets in threes. Fertile spikelets sessile; 1 in the cluster. Companion sterile spikelets sessile; 2 in the cluster. Pedicels oblong.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 4-6 mm long; shorter than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes subulate. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 1; 7-9 mm long; muticous. Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 12-14 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
Sterile
Companion sterile spikelets well-developed; containing empty lemmas, or male; lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 4-6 mm long; shorter than fertile; deciduous with the fertile. Companion sterile spikelet glumes subulate. Companion sterile spikelet lemmas 1; 7-9 mm long; muticous.
Fertile
Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; with a barren rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 12-14 mm long; falling entire; deciduous with accessory branch structures.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
Glumes collateral; similar. Lower glume linear, or lanceolate; 4-6 mm long; 1 length of upper glume. Lower glume surface pubescent. Lower glume apex awned; 1 -awned. Lower glume awn 10-15 mm long. Upper glume linear, or lanceolate; 4-6 mm long. Upper glume surface pubescent. Upper glume awned; 1 -awned. Upper glume awn 10-15 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Fertile lemma lanceolate, or ovate; 12-14 mm long; coriaceous; without keel; 5 -veined. Lemma apex acuminate; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 40-140 mm long overall; limb scabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Anthers 3; 2.5-3 mm long. Ovary pubescent on apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; sulcate on hilar side; hairy at apex. Hilum linear.
Distribution
Europe: southeastern. Africa: north. Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western Asia, Arabia, and China. Asia-tropical: India.
Reference
Triticeae. Fl Turk 1993.
[GB]

Common Names

English
Wild Barley

Sources

  • GrassBase - The Online World Grass Flora

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Living Collection Database

    • Common Names from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Living Collection https://www.kew.org/

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images