There are four sub species (denoted spp) of Hordeum marinum: mediterranean barley (H.m. spp. gussoneanum), smooth barley (H.m. spp. glaucum), wall barley (H.m. spp. murinum) and hare barley (H.m. spp. leporinum). The differences between these sub species are subtle and require some knowledge of what to look for when looking at grasses. I am personally not 100% sure of what there is here in Salt Lake City. I am pretty sure I have photos of both Hare and Mediterranean barley, but I will not try to differentiate between the two here. Generally, Mediterranean barley is shorter with small or absent auricles, while Hare barley is taller with well developed auricles. Auricles are special structures on grass leaves where the outer leaf hugs the inner sheath (photos below). Someone once described them to me as tiny dinosaur hands, I don't know why, but that image has stuck with me.
Grasses are angiosperms, meaning that they produce flowers. Their flowers just look different from what we usually classify as a flower. For grasses the flowers are typically just called an inflorescence, since they are many flowers on a single stalk.
Both Mediterranean and Hare barley are cool season annuals. Cool season plants grow and flower before the summer gets too hot, so in the spring or early summer. Both are also native to Europe. The Hordeum genus contains the species barley, the grain that we eat.
Grasses are angiosperms, meaning that they produce flowers. Their flowers just look different from what we usually classify as a flower. For grasses the flowers are typically just called an inflorescence, since they are many flowers on a single stalk.
Both Mediterranean and Hare barley are cool season annuals. Cool season plants grow and flower before the summer gets too hot, so in the spring or early summer. Both are also native to Europe. The Hordeum genus contains the species barley, the grain that we eat.