Foxtail barley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Foxtail barley |
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Hordeum
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jubatum
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Foxtail barley (scientific name: Hordeum jubatum) is a type of grass. It's also known by names like bobtail barley or squirreltail barley. This plant is a perennial, meaning it lives for more than two years. It belongs to the Poaceae family, which is the grass family.
You can find foxtail barley growing naturally in places like northern North America and parts of Siberia. However, it has spread around the world. It often escapes from gardens and grows wild in many areas with mild to warm climates. In some countries, it's even considered a weed.
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What is Foxtail Barley Like?
Foxtail barley spreads by its seeds. This plant is special because it can grow well in salty soils. But it can also grow in many other soil types. These include loamy and clayey soils. It prefers soils with a pH level between 6.4 and 9.5. It can even grow in soils with up to 1.0% salt.
This grass can handle different amounts of water. It grows in both dry and wet places. You often find it in low areas where water drains slowly. It also likes disturbed areas, like empty lots or fields. Foxtail barley is a pioneer species. This means it's one of the first plants to grow in new or disturbed areas. It quickly moves into places where the water level has dropped.
How Foxtail Barley Reproduces
Foxtail barley is great at making seeds. Each plant can produce over 200 seeds! The seeds are oval-shaped and yellowish-brown. They are about 0.25 inches (0.6 cm) long. Each seed has four to eight sharp, backward-pointing parts called awns.
Wind, machines, and animals help spread these seeds. The seeds grow best in cool temperatures. This happens in the spring or fall. Seeds that sprout in the fall can survive winter. They start growing again in early spring. This gives foxtail barley a head start over many farm crops. Warm temperatures stop the seeds from growing. They also need darkness to sprout. Foxtail barley is a shallow-rooted plant. Its seeds usually sprout from soil depths of no more than 3 inches (7.6 cm).
When a foxtail barley seedling first appears, it has thin, upright leaves. These leaves are covered in short, soft hairs. They have clear veins and rough edges. The plant's ligule (a small flap at the base of the leaf) is very short.
Mature Foxtail Barley Plants
Foxtail barley is a grass with many thin roots. It grows in dense clumps. The plant can be anywhere from 1 to 3 feet (30 to 100 cm) tall. Its stems stand straight up and are smooth. The leaf sheaths (the part of the leaf that wraps around the stem) are split and hairy.
The mature plant has a dense, nodding flower head. This head has long awns and can be greenish or purplish. The main stem of the flower head breaks into sharp pieces. Each piece has three small flowers called spikelets. Only the middle spikelet has one creamy-colored seed. Each piece also has seven awns. These awns can be up to 3 inches (7.6 cm) long. They have upward-pointing barbs. These barbs easily stick to animals, clothes, and machinery. The leaves of the plant are thin and a grayish-green color.
Ecological Impact of Foxtail Barley
Foxtail barley is different from other types of barley. For example, it's different from cultivated barley (Hordeum vulgare) and Meadow barley (Hordeum brachyantherum). You can tell them apart by the length of their awns. Meadow barley has awns about 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) long. Foxtail barley has awns from 0.5 to 3 inches (1.3 to 7.6 cm) long. Cultivated barley has much longer awns, from 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) long.
Once foxtail barley starts growing, it's very hard to get rid of. It has a strong root system and grows very aggressively. It can also handle salty soils. These things make it a tough competitor. It is considered a weed because it competes with other plants. It can also be dangerous to wild animals and farm animals.
In early spring, before it flowers, animals can eat foxtail barley. But once the seed heads dry, they become very harmful. The awns can get stuck in an animal's mouth or face. This causes pain, irritation, and even infections. In horses, it can cause painful sores and too much drooling. This makes it hard for them to eat.
Foxtail barley can also carry plant viruses. It can host diseases like wheat rust and blackstem rust. These diseases can then spread to farm crops.
This plant can absorb a lot of salt into its leaves and roots. Because of this, it might help reduce saltiness in the soil. Some people think foxtail barley could be used to replant areas damaged by salt from mines. This could help stop soil erosion. It has also been suggested for restoring wildlife habitats. However, other native grasses might be better choices due to foxtail barley's harmful traits.
Traditional Uses of Foxtail Barley
Native North American groups have used foxtail barley in different ways. The Chippewa and Potawatomi people used its roots as medicine. The Kawaiisu people would pound and eat the seeds when they were dry. They also used the plant to rub the skin off yucca stalks.
A botanist named Jacques Rousseau wrote about Iroquois children. He noted they would put dried foxtail barley seed heads into other people's sleeves as a prank. However, the Ramah Navajo people thought the plant was poisonous. They avoided it completely.
See also
In Spanish: Hordeum jubatum para niños
