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Common Barley

Hordeum vulgare

—
Not native

Not native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height
1–4 feet
Spread
6 inches–1 foot
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist
See native alternatives

Plant this instead

Choose your county to list local plants first.

  • Bush's Sedge
    Carex bushii

    Sun: Partial shade, Full sun. Soil: Dry to moist. Flowers: Green.

    Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

  • Ravenfoot Sedge
    Carex crus-corvi

    Sun: Part to full shade. Soil: Average to moist. Flowers: Green.

    Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

  • Sallow Sedge
    Carex lurida

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Usually moist. Flowers: Green or inconspicuous.

    Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

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At a glance

Life cycle
Annual
Bloom
Spring
Fruiting season
Spring to summer

Not yet recorded · Leaves

Recorded in 7 Alabama counties.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

13CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Hordeum

  • Agrotis gladiariaSwordsman Dart, Clay-Backed Cut-Worm
  • Agrotis venerabilisVenerable Dart, Dusky Cut-Worm
  • Dargida diffusaWheat Head Armywotm Moth
  • Elasmopalpus lignosellaLesser Cornstalk Borer
  • Fissicrambus mutabilisStriped Webworm, Striped Sodworm, Changeable Grass-Veneer
  • Leucania subpunctataWhite-Dotted Wainscot, Forage Armyworm
  • Maliattha synochitisBlack-Dotted Lithacodia, Black-Dotted Glyph, Brass-Dotted Grass Moth
  • Megalographa bilobaBilobed Looper Moth
  • Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
  • Nephelodes miniansBronzed Cutworm
Show all 13
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
18BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Hordeum

  • Anser albifronsGreater White-fronted Goose
  • Anthus rubescensAmerican Pipit
  • Antigone canadensisSandhill Crane
  • Aythya americanaRedhead
  • Calcarius lapponicusLapland Longspur
  • Calcarius pictusSmith's Longspur
  • Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
  • Columba liviaRock Pigeon
  • Corvus coraxCommon Raven
  • Mareca americanaAmerican Wigeon
Show all 18
  • Passerculus sandwichensisSavannah Sparrow
  • Perdix perdixGray Partridge
  • Phasianus colchicusRing-necked Pheasant
  • Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting
  • Sturnus vulgarisEuropean Starling
  • Xanthocephalus xanthocephalusYellow-headed Blackbird
  • Zenaida asiaticaWhite-winged Dove
  • Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Poaceae
Soil pH
Neutral
Flower color
Inconspicuous
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Grows in clumps
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Spring
Fruit ends
Summer

What its natural habitat tells you

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Barley

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNA
Global rankGNR
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Sources