Hordeum murinum subsp. leporinum

Hare barley, Hare Barley

Family: Poaceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Hare barley is a naturalized annual grass found throughout California (except the Klamath Ranges) in moist, generally disturbed sites at elevations below 1,900 meters. Flowering from February to May, this plant produces green inflorescences that transition to purple, with spikelets featuring distinctive awns. Growing with stems 30 to 110 centimeters tall, it develops as a winter annual with an upright, branching habit. Its leaves are narrow and grass-like, typical of the barley family, with multiple leaflets arranged along the stem. The plant's lateral spikelets have rough lower palea surfaces, contributing to its distinctive texture in disturbed landscapes.

Habitat: Moist, generally disturbed sites

Bloom period: Feb-May

Elevation: < 1900 m

Bioregions: CA (exc KR)

California counties: Humboldt, Kern, Ventura, Tuolumne, Riverside, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, Orange, San Mateo, Alameda, Sonoma, San Joaquin, San Diego, Inyo, Santa Clara, San Bernardino, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Fresno, Yolo, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Stanislaus, Placer, El Dorado, Solano, Sacramento, Calaveras, Amador, Marin, Sutter, Butte, Mariposa, Nevada, Plumas, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Merced, Napa, San Benito, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tulare, Tehama, Glenn, Colusa, Yuba, Modoc, Del Norte, Trinity, Mono, Imperial

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