Hordeum marinum subsp. gussoneanum

Sea Barley is an annual grass with stems 5-40 cm high, clustered or solitary, erect or geniculately rising up. Leaf-blades are up to 8 cm long, 1.5-4 mm wide, hairless or finely velvet-hairy. Spike is oblong to ovate, 1.5-5 cm long, tapering towards the tip, green or purplish; rhachis shortly fringed with hairs on the margins, fragile. Central spikelet is stalkless; glumes bristly, long-awned, up to 2.6 cm long including the awn, rough, lemma narrowly ovate, 6-8 mm long, smooth; awn up to 2.4 cm long; anthers 1.3-1.5 mm long. Lateral spikelets barren, flower-stalklate; glumes subulate or slightly swollen below, long-awned, up to 2.6 cm long including the awns; lemma 3-5 mm long with an awn 3-5 mm long. Sea Barley is native to E. Central Europe to Mediterranean and W. Himalaya.