Common Barley

Hordeum vulgare

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Not native

Not native to Virginia. 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

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Bush's Sedge
Carex bushii
Sun: Partial shade, Full sun. Soil: Dry 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
Frank's Sedge
Carex frankii
Sun: Full sun. Soil: Moist to wet. Flowers: Green.
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 19 Virginia counties.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

17CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Hordeum

Agrotis gladiariaSwordsman Dart, Clay-Backed Cut-Worm
Agrotis venerabilisVenerable Dart, Dusky Cut-Worm
Agrotis volubilisVoluble Dart
Apamea devastatorGlassy Borer, Glassy Cutworm Moth
Apamea sordensBordered Apamea, Rustic Shoulder-Knot
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

Show all 17

Megalographa bilobaBilobed Looper Moth
Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
Nephelodes miniansBronzed Cutworm
Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Xestia c-nigrumSpotted Cut-Worm, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Lesser Black-letter Dart
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

Bloom · “Spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Flower color · “Inconspicuous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit begins · “Spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit ends · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth habit · “Grows in clumps” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Height · “1–4 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
Life cycle · “Annual” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil pH · “Neutral” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “6 inches–1 foot” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Barley

Conservation status

Virginia rank	SNA
Global rank	GNR
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source