Hordeum vulgare L.

Erect or somewhat spreading annual tufts. Leaf-sheath green to light brown to straw-coloured, glabrous, with colourless to sometimes purplish auricles 2.5–5 mm. Ligule 0.5–3 mm, truncate, sparsely ciliate. Leaf-blade 5–35 cm × 3–15 mm, ribs finely scabrid or only so adaxially, margins glabrous, tip finely acuminate. Culm internodes glabrous. Raceme erect or nodding; rachis tough, margins ciliate. Spikelets all ☿, all sessile, or the florets of lateral spikelets Ø and shortly pedicelled. Glumes usually equal and similar, 4–10 mm, linear-lanceolate, glabrous or short-pubescent to villous, produced to a fine scabrid awn 1.5–8 mm. Lemma of ☿ spikelets broadly ovate-lanceolate, smooth with a few prickle-teeth abaxially on outer lateral nerves near awn-base; awn very tough, scabrid. Palea ≈ lemma, keels very finely scabrid near shallowly bifid or truncate apex. Rachilla prolongation 2–4 mm, ciliate. Lodicules 1 mm, hairy, ciliate. Anthers 2.5–4 mm. Caryopsis elliptic or elliptic-obovate, white, yellow, bluish grey, reddish violet, brown or black.

[From: Edgar and Connor (2000) Flora of New Zealand. Volume 5 (second printing).]