Hordeum intercedens
Encyclopedia
Hordeum intercedens is an diploid, annual species of wild barley
known by the common names bobtail barley and vernal barley. It is native to southern California
and northern Baja California
, where it is an increasingly rare member of the flora in saline and alkaline soils near seasonal waterflows and vernal pool
habitats. Today most occurrences are located on the Channel Islands of California
; many of the occurrences known from the mainland have been extirpated
in the process of land development. This is an annual grass growing erect to bent in small tufts with stems up to 40 centimeters long. The inflorescence
is a green spike up to 6.5 centimeters long made up of awned spikelets between 1 and 2 centimeters long.
Hordeum intercedens originated via long-distance dispersal of a southern South American Hordeum
species to North America less than 1 million years ago. Its closest relatives are therefore not the other North American taxa like Meadow Barley or Foxtail Barley but the annual H. euclaston occurring in Central and western Argentina and Uruguay. It is also only distantly related to the crop Barley
, from which the lineage leading to H. intercedens diverged about 12 million years ago. H. intercedens is one of the parental species of Hordeum depressum
.
Hordeum
Hordeum is a genus of about 30 species of annual and perennial grasses, native throughout the temperate Northern Hemisphere, temperate South America, and also South Africa....
known by the common names bobtail barley and vernal barley. It is native to southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and northern Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, where it is an increasingly rare member of the flora in saline and alkaline soils near seasonal waterflows and vernal pool
Vernal pool
Vernal pools, also called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools, are temporary pools of water. They are usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the safe development of natal amphibian and insect species...
habitats. Today most occurrences are located on the Channel Islands of California
Channel Islands of California
The Channel Islands of California are a chain of eight islands located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California along the Santa Barbara Channel in the United States of America...
; many of the occurrences known from the mainland have been extirpated
Local extinction
Local extinction, also known as extirpation, is the condition of a species which ceases to exist in the chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere...
in the process of land development. This is an annual grass growing erect to bent in small tufts with stems up to 40 centimeters long. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a green spike up to 6.5 centimeters long made up of awned spikelets between 1 and 2 centimeters long.
Hordeum intercedens originated via long-distance dispersal of a southern South American Hordeum
Hordeum
Hordeum is a genus of about 30 species of annual and perennial grasses, native throughout the temperate Northern Hemisphere, temperate South America, and also South Africa....
species to North America less than 1 million years ago. Its closest relatives are therefore not the other North American taxa like Meadow Barley or Foxtail Barley but the annual H. euclaston occurring in Central and western Argentina and Uruguay. It is also only distantly related to the crop Barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
, from which the lineage leading to H. intercedens diverged about 12 million years ago. H. intercedens is one of the parental species of Hordeum depressum
Hordeum depressum
Hordeum depressum is a species of barley known by the common names low barley and dwarf barley. It is native to the western United States from Idaho to California, where it can be found in moist habitats such as vernal pools. This is a small annual grass forming petite patches of thin, hairy leaves...
.