Scientific Family
Poaceae
Other common names
northern barley
Plant type
Grasses
Riparian
Yes
Grass Description
Origin
Native
Season
Warm
Grows mainly in meadows, wetlands and disturbed areas.
Plant Community
Riparian
Disturbed Areas
Low elevation
0
High elevation
10000
General Description
Plants grow in tufted clumps with erect stems that are 10 to 30 inches tall.
Perennial, spreading at the base; seedheads erect; basal sheaths usually without hair, lower may be somewhat hairy; glumes 7 to 17 mm, usually straight at maturity; lemmas usually awned; awns less than 1/2 inch, usually straight at maturity.
Grass type
Perennial bunchgrass
Rhizomes
No
Stolons
No
Clump Diameter 2 ft or more
No
Bushy - highly branched
No
Height with Seedheads
24 inches or more
Seedhead Structure
Unbranched
Seedhead droops
No
First bloom month
June
Last bloom month
July
Flower Characteristics
Flowers per Spikelet
One-flowered
Spikelets One-Sided
No
Awns
Greater than 1 inch
Three Awns
No
Awns bent
No
Flower and Seedhead Notes
Three spikelets per node; attached to the main axis.; lateral spikelets are sterile; central spikelet is fertile. Seedhead is erect or slightly nodding. Awns are less than 1/2 inch long.
Vegetative Characteristics
Blade is hairy
Yes
Blade margins white
No
Blade cross-section
Flat
Blades are up to 3/4 inch long and 1/2 inch wide, both sides usually smooth but sometimes have short downy hairs on both surfaces.
Sheath is hairy
Yes
Tufts of hair top of sheath or collar
No
Ligule
Membranous
Auricles
No
This native grass is the most valuable of the barleys for forage because, unlike the introduced barleys, it has short, fine awns, which are fairly safe for stock consumption. Forage value is rated from low to medium for livestock, high in spring for deer.