Poaceae

Barley

Hordeum vulgare L.

Family: Poaceae
Genus: Hordeum

Pets and kids

CatsSafe
DogsSafe
KidsSafe

Why

Cats: Safe

Sources below say it is non-toxic to cats. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.

Plants and Pets Don't Always Mix | K-State University or extension

Dogs: Safe

Sources below say it is non-toxic to dogs. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.

Nutritional Benefits of Corn and Grains for Dogs and Cats | VCA Animal Hospitals Veterinary reference

Kids: Safe

Sources below say it is non-toxic to young children. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.

Arsenic in baby rice cereals - Poison Control Poison control

Barley (Hordeum vulgare) — FlowerPhoto: gerardbertrand, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

Is yours looking unwell? Scan your plant — free

Is Barley safe for cats, dogs and kids?

Is Barley safe for cats?

Our sources call Barley non-toxic to cats. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.

Plants and Pets Don't Always Mix | K-State University or extension

Is Barley safe for dogs?

Our sources call Barley non-toxic to dogs. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.

Nutritional Benefits of Corn and Grains for Dogs and Cats | VCA Animal Hospitals Veterinary reference

Is Barley safe for kids?

Our sources call Barley non-toxic to young children. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.

Arsenic in baby rice cereals - Poison Control Poison control

Ate some? Call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 (a fee may apply). For a child, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (US). If they are struggling to breathe or collapse, call 911. Don't give anything by mouth unless a vet or poison expert tells you to.

See all cat-safe plants, dog-safe plants and child-safe plants.

Common names

By language (167)

aeb: شعير
Afrikaans: Gars
Albanian: Elbi
alt: Арба
Amharic: ገብስ
ang: Bere
anp: जौ
Arabic: شعير, الشعير, الصيغة الكيميائية للسكر, شعير ابيض, شعير شائع, شعير عادي, شعير مزدوج الأهداب, شيتعور
arc: ܣܥܪܬܐ
Armenian: Սովորական գարի
arz: شعير
Assamese: যৱ, বাৰ্লি
Asturian: Cebada
awa: जौ
Aymara: Siwara
azb: آرپا
Azerbaijani: Adi arpa
ba: Арпа
ban: Barli
Bangla: যব
bar: Geaschtn
Basque: Garagar
Belarusian: Ячмень звычайны
bjn: Jawawut
bo: ནས།
Bosnian: Ječam
Breton: Heiz
bua: Арбай
Bulgarian: Обикновен ечемик
Burmese: မုယော
Cantonese: 大麥
Catalan: Ordi
cdo: Duâi-măk
ce: Мукх
Central Kurdish: جۆ
Chinese: 大麥, 大麦, 二棱大麥, 大麦秸, 大麦苗, 麦芽, 青稞
crh: Arpa
Croatian: Ječam
cv: Урпа
Czech: Ječmen setý, Ječmen obecný
Danish: Almindelig byg
Divehi: ހިމަ ގޮދަން
dty: जौ
Dutch: Gerst
English: Barley, Common barley, Barley plant
Esperanto: Ordinara hordeo
Estonian: Harilik oder
Filipino: Sebada
Finnish: Ohra, Pelto-ohra
fj: Parile
French: Orge commune
frr: Bere
Galician: Cebada
Ganda: Barley
Georgian: Სათესი ქერი
German: Gerste, Gerstengras, Gerstengraupen, Kultur-Gerste, Kulturgerste, Sommergerste, Wintergerste
grc: Κριθή
Greek: Κριθάρι
gsw: Gerste
Guarani: Seváda, Avatiryku
gv: Oarn
Haitian Creole: Òj
hak: Thai-ma̍k
Hausa: Sha'ir
Hebrew: שעורה תרבותית
hif: Barley
Hindi: जौ
hsb: Sywny ječmjeń
Hungarian: Árpa, Négysoros árpa, Takarmányárpa
Icelandic: Bygg
Iloko: Sebada
Indonesian: Barli
io: Hordeo
Irish: Eorna
Italian: Orzo
Japanese: オオムギ, はだか麦, ハダカオオムギ, 裸オオムギ, 裸大麦, 裸麦
Javanese: Jawawut
kab: Timẓin
Kannada: ಬಾರ್ಲಿ
Kazakh: Кәдімгі арпа
kbd: Хьэ
kbp: Ɔrɩgɩ
Korean: 보리
kr: Barley
ksh: Jääch
kw: Barlys
Kyrgyz: Арпа
lah: جوں, جؤ, جَوں
Latvian: Parastais miezis, Mieži
lbe: Хъа
li: Gaes
lij: Òrzio
Lithuanian: Paprastasis miežis
lld: Orde, Orc
Luxembourgish: Geescht, Giescht, Gjääscht, Gääscht
lzh: 大麥
Macedonian: Јачмен
Maithili: जौ
Malagasy: Vary orza
Malay: Pokok Barli
Malayalam: ബാർളി, ബാർലി, യവം
Marathi: जव
mnc: ᠮᡠᠵᡳ
Mongolian: Арвай
myv: Шуж
nan: Toā-be̍h
nap: Uorgio
nds: Gasten
Nepali: जौ
new: तछ्व
Norwegian Bokmål: Seksradsbygg
Norwegian Nynorsk: Bygg, Seksradsbygg
Occitan: Òrdi
Odia: ଯଅ
os: Кæрвæдз
Pashto: وربشې
Persian: جو
pms: Òrdi
Polish: Jęczmień zwyczajny, Jęczmień
Portuguese: Cevada
Punjabi: ਜੌਂ
Quechua: Siwara
Romanian: Orz
rup: Ordzu
Russian: Ячмень обыкновенный, Hordéum vulgáre
sah: Нэчимиэн
Sanskrit: यवः॑
sat: ᱡᱟᱣ
scn: Oriu
sco: Baurley
Serbian: Јечам
Serbian (Latin): Ječam
sgs: Mėižē
shi: Timẓin
Shona: Bhari
Sindhi: جو
Slovak: Jačmeň siaty
Slovenian: Ječmen
Somali: Heed
Spanish: Cebada, H. vulgare
Swahili: Shayiri
Swedish: Korn
szl: Jynczmiyń
Tajik: Ҷав
Tamil: வாற்கோதுமை
Tatar: Арпа
Telugu: బార్లీ
Thai: ข้าวบาร์เลย์, ข้าวบาร์ลีย์
Tigrinya: ስገም
Turkish: Arpa
tyv: Арбай
udm: Йыды
Ukrainian: Ячмінь звичайний
Urdu: جو
Uyghur: ئارپا
Uzbek: Arpa
vec: Órxo
vep: Ozr
Vietnamese: Đại mạch
vro: Kesev
Walloon: Oidje, Oûdje, Wadje, Wèdje, Ôdje, Ôrdje
war: Sebada
Welsh: Haidd, Haidd chwerhesog
wuu: 大麦
Yiddish: גערשט
za: Mienhhaeux
zza: Cew

Synonyms

Frumentum hordeum E.H.L.Krause
Frumentum sativum E.H.L.Krause
Hordeum aestivum R.E.Regel
Hordeum americanum R.E.Regel
Hordeum bifarium Roth
Hordeum brachyatherum R.E.Regel
Hordeum caspicum R.E.Regel
Hordeum coeleste Viborg ex Kunth
Hordeum daghestanicum R.E.Regel
Hordeum defectoides R.E.Regel
Hordeum distichon subsp. zeocrithon (L.) Čelak.
Hordeum durum R.E.Regel
Hordeum elongatum R.E.Regel
Hordeum gymnodistichum Duthie
Hordeum heterostychyon P.Beauv.
Hordeum hexastichon L.
Hordeum hibernaculum R.E.Regel
Hordeum hibernans R.E.Regel
Hordeum himalayense Schult.
Hordeum hirtiusculum R.E.Regel
Hordeum horsfordianum R.E.Regel
Hordeum ircutianum R.E.Regel
Hordeum jarenskianum R.E.Regel
Hordeum juliae R.E.Regel
Hordeum kalugense R.E.Regel
Hordeum karzinianum R.E.Regel
Hordeum kiarchanum R.E.Regel
Hordeum laevipaleatum R.E.Regel
Hordeum lapponicum R.E.Regel
Hordeum leptostachys Griff.
Hordeum mandshuricum R.E.Regel
Hordeum mandshuroides R.E.Regel
Hordeum michalkowi R.E.Regel
Hordeum nekludowi R.E.Regel
Hordeum nigrum Willd.
Hordeum pamiricum Vavilov
Hordeum parvum R.E.Regel
Hordeum pensanum R.E.Regel
Hordeum perversum Forssk.
Hordeum polystichon Haller

and 108 more.

Flowers

In flower: March, June (from 9 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)
Flower colour: yellow (USDA PLANTS Database)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Graminoid
Lifespan: Annual
In the US and Canada: Alaska: introduced, Canada: introduced, Greenland: introduced, Hawaii: introduced, Lower 48 states: introduced

Photos

FlowerPhoto: gerardbertrand, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: JackyM59, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Piermario Maculan, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Midir, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Apophis, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: TonyT, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Cliff from Arlington, Virginia, USA, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: brshedayat, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: Matt Lavin, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Cliff from Arlington, Virginia, USA, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Jean-claude Rodriguez, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: Dmitriy Bochkov, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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.