Illinois Natural History Survey - University of Illinois

Hordeum vulgare
Pearl barley, Common barley
Taxonomy

Synonyms: Hordeum vulgare trifurcatum

Subspecific taxa:

Classification:

Other taxonomic & nomenclature sources: USDA Plants;  ITIS;  The Plant List;  IPNI

Species Distribution
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More about map & occurrence records

County Map Legend
Absent:
Not known from county
Medium confidence:
Medium or unknown confidence;
often old records or unverifiable observations
Medium-high confidence:
Often observations by expert botanists
High confidence:
Often vouchered herbarium records
Planted / introduced:
Native species introduced outside historic range,
or only in planted locations within county (e.g., restorations)
Historic / extirpated:
Only historic records for the species; likely extirpated
(Note that this category is not yet functional)

North American distribution maps for this species: FLNA;  USDA Plants;  BONAP;  BISON

Collections, Observations & Flowering by Month [?]

J
0
F
0
M
0
A
0
M
0
J
0
J
0
A
0
S
0
O
0
N
0
D
0

Collections & Observations by Decade [?]

Species Status

Status/Listing: No Information

Notes:

Origin: Asia

Species Description

General: Monocot, annual

Roots: adventitious, fibrous

Shoots: alternate leaf arrangment; simple leaf type; entire leaf margin; Parallel leaf venation; awl-shaped leaf shape

Inflorescence: spike

Flowers: perfect; 3 merous; complete; hypogynous ovary position

Fruit: grain

Physiology: autotrophic; C3 C02 fixation

Reproduction: sexual

Ecology & Natural History

Habitat: Species is distributed about grain elevators, waste ground, railroad ballast. Species is distributed about grain elevators, waste ground, on railroad ballast.

ILPIN Notes: Mohlenbrock (1967, ref. 8) gives 2 varieties in Illinois, var. vulgare with awns = "common barley"; var. trifurcatum, without awns = "pearl barley". It is assumed current taxon = var. vulgare. Awns are present (vs. var. trifurcatum). Species is sometimes adventive, but rarely persistent; common barley is more common in the adventive state than is pearl barley. All spikelets are fertile and sessile. Species is often cultivated. Dried straw is used in Europe for paper-making. Stephens, H.A. 1980. Poisonous Plants of the Central United States. Regent Press of Kansas. Lawrence, KA. 165 pp. Species is rarer in adventive state than H. vulgare var. vulgare ("common barley"). Hitchcock, A.S. 1950. A Manual of the Grasses of the United States. United States Government Printing Office. Washington, D.C. 1051 pp. Stephens, H.A. 1980. Poisonous Plants of the Central United States. Regent Press of Kansas. Lawrence, KA. 165 pp. Species is awnless (versus var. vulgare).

Functional Relationships:

  • Pollinators:
  • Dispersal:
  • Mycorrhizae:
  • N2 fixation:

Human Relationships:

  • Edibility [?] :
  • Showy Flowers:

Wildlife and Livestock Information:

  • Food Value:
  • Cover Value:

Coefficient of Conservatism (C-value) [?] :

  • Entire State:
  • Chicago Area:

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