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• Physical Description
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Taxonomy

Physical Description

Family Poaceae:

Annual or perennial herbs, or tall woody bamboos. Flowering stems (culms) jointed, internodes hollow or solid; branches arising singly from nodes and subtended by a leaf sheath and 2-keeled prophyll, often fascicled in bamboos. Leaves arranged alternately in 2 ranks, differentiated into sheath, blade, and an adaxial erect appendage at sheath/blade junction (ligule) ; leaf sheath surrounding and supporting culm-internode, split to base or infrequently tubular with partially or completely fused margins, modified with reduced blade in bamboos (culm sheaths) ; leaf blades divergent, usually long, narrow and flat, but varying from inrolled and filiform to ovate, veins parallel, sometimes with cross-connecting veinlets (especially in bamboos) ; ligule membranous or a line of hairs. Inflorescence terminal or axillary, an open, contracted, or spikelike panicle, or composed of lax to spikelike racemes arranged along an elongate central axis, or digitate, paired, or occasionally solitary; axillary inflorescences often many, subtended by spatheoles (specialized bladeless leaf sheaths) and gathered into a leafy compound panicle; spikelets often aggregated into complex clusters in bamboos. Spikelets composed of distichous bracts arranged along a slender axis (rachilla) ; typically 2 lowest bracts (glumes) empty, subtending 1 to many florets; glumes often poorly differentiated from accompanying bracts in bamboos. Florets composed of 2 opposing bracts enclosing a single small flower, outer bract (lemma) clasping the more delicate, usually 2-keeled inner bract (palea) ; base of floret often with thickened prolongation articulated with rachilla (callus) ; lemma often with apical or dorsal bristle (awn), glumes also sometimes awned. Flowers bisexual or unisexual; lodicules (small scales representing perianth) 2, rarely 3 or absent, 3 to many in bamboos, hyaline or fleshy; stamens 3 rarely 1, 2, 6, or more in some bamboos, hypogynous, filaments capillary, anthers versatile; ovary 1-celled, styles (1 or) 2(rarely 3), free or united at base, topped by feathery stigmas, exserted from sides or apex of floret. Fruit normally a dry indehiscent caryopsis with thin pericarp firmly adherent to seed, pericarp rarely free, fleshy in some bamboos; embryo small or large; hilum punctate to linear.

About 700 genera and 11,000 species: widely distributed in all regions of the world.^[1]

Genus Hordeum:

Plants annual or perennial. Culms usually erect. Leaf sheath of cauline leaves split almost to base; ligule membranous or leathery-membranous; auricles present or absent; leaf blade usually flat. Spike dense, usually without a terminal spikelet; rachis short, brittle, rarely flexible. Spikelets usually 3 per node, in regular rows, with 1(or 2) florets; lateral spikelets usually pedicellate, rarely sessile, often reduced and much smaller than central spikelet; central spikelet usually sessile, rarely pedicellate, perfect. Glumes narrow, subulate-setaceous, sometimes lanceolate dilated at base, inconspicuously 1-3-veined, not keeled. Lemma subrounded abaxially, leathery, rarely leathery-membranous, 5-veined, not keeled, awned or awnless. Palea almost equaling lemma, glabrous, scabrous, or ciliate along keels. Lodicules broadly lanceolate or lanceolate-ovate. Caryopsis usually adnate to lemma and palea, rarely free, oblong, concave furrowed on inner side, apex hairy. x = 7.

Between 30 and 40 species: temperate regions, also on subtropical mountains; ten species (one endemic, two introduced) in China.

All species when young are used for forage.^[2]

Similar Species

Members of the genus Hordeum:

There are approximately 599 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them: H. jubatum brachyantherum · H. leporinum glaucum · H. murinum montanum · H. murinum setariurum · H. pubiflorum breviaristatum · H. pusillum flexuosum · H. pusillum quadrangulare · H. pusillum subfastigiatum · H. vulgare aegiceras · H. adpressum · H. adscendens · H. aestivum · H. agriocrithon · H. agriocrithon var. nudum · H. ambiguum · H. americanum · H. andicola · H. andicola f. pusilla · H. andinum · H. anglicum · H. apertum · H. arenarium · H. arizonicum (Arizona Barley) · H. asperum · H. astrachanense · H. avenaceum · H. berteroanum · H. berteroanum var. pumiluw · H. bifarium · H. blomii · H. bogdani · H. bogdanii · H. bohemicum · H. bonariense · H. brachyantherum (Meadow Barley) · H. brachyantherum brachyantherum (Meadow Barley) · H. brachyantherum californicum (Meadow Barley) · H. brachyantheum · H. brachyatherum · H. bracyantherum · H. breviaristatum · H. brevicomum · H. brevisubulatum · H. brevisubulatum brevisubulatum · H. brevisubulatum iranicum · H. brevisubulatum nevskianum · H. brevisubulatum turkestanicum · H. brevisubulatum var. hirtellum · H. brevisubulatum var. turkestanicum · H. bulbosum (Bulbous Barley) · H. bulbosum bulbosum · H. bulbosum nodosum · H. caducum · H. californica · H. canadense · H. capense · H. caput-medusae · H. cartilagineum · H. caspicum · H. caudatum · H. chevalieri · H. chilense · H. chilense f. elongatum · H. chilense f. longearistatum · H. chilense var. compressum · H. chilense var. magellanicum · H. chilense var. muticum · H. chilense var. pseudosecalinum · H. ciliatum · H. coeleste · H. colchicum · H. coleophorum · H. comosum · H. comosum f. violacea · H. comosum var. bifidum · H. comosum var. flavescens · H. comosum var. humile · H. comosum var. pubeflorum · H. comosum var. pubiflorum · H. comosum var. rigidum · H. complanatum · H. compressum · H. compressum f. tenuispicatum · H. compressum var. superatum · H. compressum var. tenuispicatum · H. cordobense · H. crinitum · H. cylindricum · H. daghestanicum · H. de-degeni · H. decaisneanum · H. decaisnei · H. defectoides · H. deficiens · H. delileanum · H. delphicum · H. depauperatum · H. depilatum · H. depressum (Dwarf Barley) · H. dilatatum

Bibliography

• Chen Shouliang, Jin Yuexing, Zhuang Tide, Fang Wenzhe, Sheng Guoying, Liu Liang, Wu Zhenlan, Lu Shenglian, Sun Bisin, Hu Zhihao, Wang Song, Sun Xiangzhong, Wang Huiqin, Yang Xilin, Wang Chaopin, Li Binggui & Wen Shaobin. 1990. Gramineae (Poaceae) (4). In: Chen Shouliang, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 10(1):1401
• Chen Shouliang, Zhuang Tide, Fang Wenzhe, Sheng Guoying, Jin Yuexing, Liu Liang, Sun Bisin, Hu Zhihao & Wang Song. 1997. Gramineae (Poaceae) (5). In: Chen Shouliang, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 10(2): 1301
• Liu Liang, Zhu Taiping, Chen Wenli, Wu Zhenlan & Lu Shenglian. Gramineae (Poaceae) (2). In: Liu Liang, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 9(2): 1405
• Lu Sheng-lian, Sun Yong-hua, Liu Shang-wu, Yang Yong-chang, Wu Zhen-lan, Kuo Pen-chao, Yang Hsi-ling, Wang Chao-pin & Tsui Nai-ran. 1987. Gramineae (3). In: Kuo Pen-chao, ed., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 9(3): 1329
• Wang Zhengping, Ye Guanghan, Yang Yaling, Yu Zehua, Hu Chenhua, Geng Bojie, Feng Xuelin, Jia Liangzhi, Xia Nianhe, Li Dezhu, Zhang Weiping, Xue Jiru, Zhu Zhengde, Zhao Qiseng, Chen Shouliang, Sheng Guoying, Chen Shaoyun, Yao Changyu, Lu Jionglin, Sun Jiliang, Lin Wantao, Yi Tongpei, Zhao Huiru, Wen Taihui & Dai Qihui. 1996. Gramineae (Poaceae) (1).

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Notes

Identifiers:

• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 15939799
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:998476-1
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 3633518

Footnotes:

1. Shou-liang Chen, De-Zhu Li, Guanghua Zhu, Zhenlan Wu, Sheng-lian Lu, Liang Liu, Zheng-ping Wang, Bi-xing Sun, Zheng-de Zhu, Nianhe Xia, Liang-zhi Jia, Zhenhua Guo, Wenli Chen, Xiang Chen, Yang Guangyao, Sylvia M. Phillips, Chris Stapleton, Robert J. Soreng, Susan G. Aiken, Nikolai N. Tzvelev, Paul M. Peterson, Stephen A. Renvoize, Marina V. Olonova & Klaus Ammann "Poaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 22. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
2. "Hordeum". in Flora of China Vol. 22 Page 6, 386, 395, 443, 444. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.