Hordeum pusillum

Single spike 2 inches long with short awns which stand upright. Look alikes: Setaria awns at right angles, Elymus awns very long.

The long awns of this species are sometimes injurious to livestock. This species is essentially worthless for livestock grazing. The following information is for the genus Hordeum: Animals that eat its seeds and leaves: Canada goose, Snow goose, Pocket gopher (Martin et al. 1951).

A cool-season, shallow-rooted, annual grass that reproduces by seed. It is a member of the same genus as barley (Hordeum vulgare). It grows on a variety of soils, including alkaline areas, throughout most of the United States. It invades overgrazed prairie, areas of low fertility and other disturbed areas. It is common in old fields and ditches. Drought stressed plants as small as 3 in tall have been seen with mature seed. It can furnish some winter grazing but is undependable and weedy. The long awned spiklets break off when mature and stick to clothes or animal fur for dispersal (Philips Petroleum Company 1956). Management that encourages a perennial plant community should control this weedy annual. Most annuals are considered invaders in a perennial community such as prairie.

Pastures, roadsides, fields, moist places, and waste places.