Barley-grass - introduced (*Hordeum leporinum)

Native to the Mediterraneum area and Asia. Annual. C3.

Family. Poaceae (Grass family).

Other names: *Critesion murinum ssp leporinum

Occurrence: Common.

Identification:

• the flower cluster is a dense and spike-like
• the spikelets are in threes
• the glumes and lemmas taper into long stout awns
• the leaves are flat
• the ligules are membranous, irregularly toothed, and 0.5-1mm long.

It is similar to Northern Barley-grass in that the outer glumes of the outer spikelets are narrow at the base; the glumes of the inner spiklet and inner glumes of the outer spikelets are widened at the base.

It differs from Northern Barley-grass in that

• the anthers of the central floret of are dark (pale in H. glaucum)
• the stem just below the join of the spikelets is 2.5mm or more (c2mm in H. glaucum)
• the stem just below the join of the spikelets is greenish (straw coloured in H. glaucum)
• the leaves are usually green (blue-green (glaucous) in H. glaucum)

leporinum: resembling a hare's ear.

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