Wheat - introduced (*Triticum aestivum)

Native to the Middle East. Annual. C3.

Family. Poaceae (Grass family).

Identification:

• the flower cluster is a spike (i.e. the spikelets are stalkless)
• the glumes about as long as the lemmas, often with a short awn
• the spikelets are several flowered
• the lemmas are awnless or with awns to 12cm
• the leaves are flat
• the ligules are truncate and membranous.

A rather distinctive grass. Recognise by the dense, almost four-sided spike, the often short-awned glumes. The awned form is densely bristly. It differs from Rye in that the lemmas do not have bristles at the lemma edges.
Usually growing from spilt grain. Not common.

Triticum: wheat (Latin); aestivum: flowering in summer.

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