Poaceae

Little barley

Hordeum pusillum Nutt.

Family: Poaceae
Genus: Hordeum

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Little barley (Hordeum pusillum) — FlowerPhoto: Alexandria Szakacs, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (7)

Arabic: شعير دقيق
arz: شعير دقيق
Chinese: 小稞, 小大麦, 花旗稞
English: Little barley, Little foxtail barley, Bobtail barley
French: Orge naine, Petite orge
Swedish: Dvärgkorn
Welsh: Haidd bach

Synonyms

Critesion pusillum (Nutt.) Á.Löve
Hordeum intercedens Nevski
Hordeum pusillum subsp. pusillum
Hordeum pusillum var. pubens Hitchc.
Hordeum pusillum var. pusillum
Hordeum riehlii Steud.

Flowers

In flower: April (from 39 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)
Flower colour: yellow (USDA PLANTS Database)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Graminoid
Lifespan: Annual
In the US and Canada: Canada: native, Lower 48 states: native

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Alexandria Szakacs, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FruitPhoto: Matt Lavin, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: stenarmer52, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Jared Shorma, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Daniel J. Layton, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Catherine C. Galley, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Hordeum

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.