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Native Plant Database

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Hordeum pusillum (Little barley)
Strickland, Sam C.

Hordeum pusillum Nutt.

Little barley

Poaceae (Grass Family)

USDA Symbol: hopu

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

An annual grass with each stem bearing an unbranched, erect, flattened, bristly spike of narrow, crowded, greenish-brown spikelet.

Although now widespread in the United States, this relative of the cultivated Barley (H. vulgare) was probably originally native only in the southern states. In some areas it is extremely abundant, becoming especially conspicuous when the plants mature, which they do quickly, and turn brown; at that stage the spikes break up into short sections.

 

From the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Annual
Habit: Grass/Grass-like
Leaf: Green
Flower:
Fruit:

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Yellow
Bloom Time: Apr , May

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , AZ , CA , CO , CT , DC , DE , FL , GA , IA , ID , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MS , MT , NC , ND , NE , NJ , NM , NV , NY , OH , OK , OR , PA , SC , SD , TN , TX , UT , VA , WA , WI , WY
Native Distribution: Throughout United States; also in Ontario and far western provinces.
Native Habitat: Roadsides, fields, and waste places, often in alkaline soil.
USDA Native Status: L48(N), CAN(N)

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Medium
Light Requirement: Sun
CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium

Benefit

Use Food: Seed consumed by indigenous peoples of eastern North American before the arrival of maize.
Attracts: Birds

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is either on display or available from the following:

Fredericksburg Nature Center - Fredericksburg, TX
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, TX
Sibley Nature Center - Midland, TX
Stengl Biological Research Station - Smithville, TX

Herbarium Specimen(s)

NPSOT 1025 Collected Apr 28, 1995 in Bexar County by Mike Fox
NPSOT 0299 Collected Apr 26, 1987 in Bexar County by Harry Cliffe

Wildflower Center Seed Bank

LBJWC-20 Collected 2006-05-08 in Travis County by Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Bibliography

Bibref 1222 - Rivers of Change: Essays on Early Agriculture in Eastern North America (1992) Smith, Bruce D.

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Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Hordeum pusillum in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Hordeum pusillum in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Hordeum pusillum

Metadata

Record Modified: 2010-08-09
Research By: TWC Staff

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