Bulbous barley
Hordeum bulbosum

Family: Poaceae

What it is like

A herb. It is an erect grass that keeps growing from year to year. It grows 1.2 m high. It has thickened bulbs near the base of the flower stem. It can have 1-4 bulbs on a stalk and these are 5-45 mm long by 3017 mm wide. The leaves are flat and 9 mm wide. There are prickly hairs on the surface of the leaf. The flowering spikes are 45-165 mm long. It out-breeds and cannot pollinate itself. Plants can have 2 or 4 sets of chromosomes.

There are about 20 Hordeum species.

Where it is found

It is a Mediterranean climate plant. It grows in dry soils. It can grow in arid places. It can grow in areas with 300-400 mm rainfall.

Countries/locations it is found in

Afghanistan, Africa, Albania, Algeria, Australia, Balkans, Bulgaria, Central Asia, Cyprus, East Africa, Egypt, Europe, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Mediterranean, Middle East, Morocco, North Africa, North America, Peru, Portugal, Romania, Scandinavia, Slovenia, South America, Spain, Sweden, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, USA, Uzbekistan, West Africa, Yugoslavia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The grains are used as food. They are ground into flour and used as a cereal for bread or porridge. The roots are chewed and sometimes eaten. The bulbs are eaten raw.

Edible parts

Seeds, root, cereal, bulbs

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Abu suwaif, Boncuk arpa, Cehek, Giyabandak-gyagezaroka, Gomoljasti ječmen, Gunbilok, Sivanok

Synonyms

Hordeum nodosum Ucria non L.;