Hordeum brachyantherum ssp. brachyantherum Nevski
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TAXONOMY
 
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Hordeum
 
Species Synonyms: Critesion brachyantherum (Nevski) Barkworth & D.R. Dewey
Critesion jubatum ssp. breviaristatum (Bowden) A.&D. Löve
Hordeum boreale Scribn. & J.G. Sm.
Hordeum jubatum var. boreale (Scribn. & J.G. Sm.) Boivin
Hordeum jubatum ssp. breviaristatum Bowden
Hordeum nodosum L.p.p.
Hordeum nodosum var. boreale (Scribn. & J.G. Sm.) A.S. Hitchc.
Common Names: meadow barley
meadow wild barley
 
DISTRIBUTION
 
Canada: Yukon – British Columbia – southeastern Alberta – southwestern Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan: southwestern Saskatchewan; Cypress Hills
Ecoregion: Cypress Upland
 
HABITAT
 
Saskatchewan: moist creek valleys, prairie depressions, and ditches
Associated Species: Hordeum jubatum, Deschampsia caespitosa
 
RARITY STATUS
 
Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):
Endangered
Nature Conservancy Status:
G5 S1
Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:
None
COSEWIC Status:
None
 
Hordeum brachyantherum ssp. brachyantherum is endangered because of extreme rarity in Saskatchewan. No immediate threats are known but may occur in the future.
 
SPECIES DESCRIPTION
 
Height: 30 – 95 cm
Roots: fibrous
Stem: perennial, densely caespitose, erect to geniculate, usually robust
Leaves: blades to 19 cm long, to 8 mm wide, usually glabrous; basal sheaths glabrous, occasionally sparsely pubescent; ligules hyaline; auricles absent
Inflorescence: spikes 3 – 9 cm long, green to purplish, lateral spikelets staminate
Spikelets: 3-flowered
Florets: in central spikelets – glumes 1 – 1.5 cm long, setaceous; lemmas 5 – 10 mm long, glabrous; lemma awns to 6.5 mm long, straight at maturity; in lateral spikelets – glumes 1 – 1.5 cm long, setaceous; lemmas rudimentary to well developed, awns to 7.5 mm long
Fruits: caryopsis
 
HORDEUM KEY FOR SPECIES FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN
 
1 Glumes less than 1.5 cm long, divergent or not at maturity; lemma awns of central spikelets to 7.5 mm long
H. brachyantherum ssp. brachyantherum
1 Glumes to 7 cm long, divergent at maturity; lemma awns of central spikelets to over 7 cm long
2
   
2 Glumes and lemma awns of central spikelets to 3.5 cm long
H. jubatum ssp. intermedium
2 Glumes and lemma awns of central spikelets to 3.5 – 7 cm long
H. jubatum ssp. jubatum