| Geographic Range |
it is native to western Asia, it is common
in the Mediterranean regions; it was introduced in Australia, in North and
South America in the 19th century. |
| Physical Characteristics |
annual plant, loosely cespitose. The culm
may reach 50 centimeters, it is erect or sometimes prostrate, most of all
in grazing areas. Blades may reach 28 centimeters; they are flat or occasionally
with involute margins, glabrous, or sparsely pilose. They are light green
and pointed. The spikes are 3-8 centimeters long, light green or reddish
(especially the awns). The spikelets have stiff and thin bristles and are
clustered in groups of three on the spikes. Only the central spikelet bears
a floret that blooms between May and July. |
| Notes |
it flowers in spring and afterwards it produces
a lot of seeds that easily spread thanks to the awns which stick to the
hair of the cattle; they are dormant during the hot season and they do not
germinate until autumn. |
| Habitat |
fields, walls, waste places, uncultivated
zones. |
Hordeum
murinum
