Hordeum jubatum subsp. jubatum

Foxtail barley, squirreltail barley, Squirreltail Barley

Family: Poaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Foxtail barley is a native perennial grass found in California in roadsides, disturbed areas, meadows, and marshes at elevations of 20 to 3,500 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces white-green to light purple flowers in dense, bristly inflorescences 3 to 15 centimeters long. Growing with stems 20 to 80 centimeters tall that are densely tufted and bent at the base, it forms distinctive clumps with graceful, arching characteristics. Its leaves are narrow, less than 5 millimeters wide, extending to 15 centimeters in length and ranging from scabrous to short-hairy. The plant is particularly notable for its long, divergent awns that can reach up to 90 millimeters, giving the seedheads a soft, feathery appearance.

Habitat: Roadsides, disturbed areas, meadows, marshes

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: 20-3500 m

Bioregions: CA

California counties: San Bernardino, Mono, Modoc, Trinity, San Diego, Alpine, El Dorado

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.