Hordeum bulbosum aka Bulbous Barley

Hordeum bulbosum, or bulbous barley, is a perennial grass. It belongs to Poaceae, the grass family. Its native range spans the Mediterranean and western and central Asia. This includes parts of southern Europe and North Africa. It also grows east through Turkey, Iran, and nearby regions. Kew places it in the temperate climate zone. It is not native to Britain or Ireland. Dry grassland is its recorded habitat.

The plant grows to about 4 feet (1.2 metres) tall. Its perennial habit sets it apart from annual grain crops. It flowers from June to July. Each flower has both male and female organs. Wind carries the pollen, rather than insects or other animals. The seeds have food uses, while the stems have several uses after harvest. The supplied records give no mature width or detailed leaf description.

Grow bulbous barley in an open site without shade. It accepts sandy, loamy, and clay soils with good drainage. Plants For A Future reports easy growth in light soil. It also states that the plant succeeds in most soils. Suitable soil reaction ranges from mildly acid to mildly alkaline. The soil may be dry or moist. Cultivated beds offer one setting for growing it. The supplied sources give no hardiness zone or frost limit.

Seeds can be sown where the plants will grow. Plants For A Future gives March and October as sowing months. Cover the seeds with only a thin layer of soil. Keep the surface from drying out during dry weather. Germination takes about two weeks, according to that source. It also records North American trials as a perennial grain. That report dates to 1992, not to current trials.

The seeds can be cooked or milled into flour. That flour can serve in bread or porridge. Roots are also recorded as chewed or eaten on occasion. Plants For A Future gives its food value two out of five. It lists no known hazards, but this is not a full safety assessment. It records no medicinal uses. After seed harvest, the stems can supply fibre for paper. They can also provide fuel biomass or be shredded for mulch. The source does not flag the plant as weedy.