Hordeum jubatum

Hordeum jubatum

£6.50

Out of stock

Potsize – 1L

Squirreltail Barley. This is such a lovely undemanding little grass and so easy to slip in at the front of a bed or along the edge of a path. The leaves are unremarkable but the flowering heads are a delight and so freely produced. They arch over gracefully with diaphenous beauty just like the tail of a suirrel except that they take on rich ruby pink tones as well. Once established it will seed itself quite freely. It will tolerate a wide range of soil types and is known for its ability to tolerate quite saline and alkaline soils – in fact it is considered for the reclamation of saline soils on account of its ability to extract salts and accumulate them in its foliage. It naturally occurs in moist soils in Northern America and Eastern Siberia though it can also withstand periods of drought. It is polyploid (having more than 2 sets of chromosomes) and is thought to be a hybrid between of an East asian and extinct Californian species. Foxtail Barley, Bobtail Barley, Intermediate Barley

Out of stock

SKU: HORDJUB Categories: , , Tags: , ,

Description

Hordeum jubatum

Squirreltail Barley. Hordeum jubatum is such a lovely undemanding little grass and so easy to slip in at the front of a bed or along the edge of a path. The leaves are unremarkable but the flowering heads are a delight and so freely produced. They arch over gracefully with diaphenous beauty just like the tail of a suirrel except that they take on rich ruby pink tones as well. Once established it will seed itself quite freely. It will tolerate a wide range of soil types and is known for its ability to tolerate quite saline and alkaline soils – in fact it is considered for the reclamation of saline soils on account of its ability to extract salts and accumulate them in its foliage. It naturally occurs in moist soils in Northern America and Eastern Siberia though it can also withstand periods of drought. It is polyploid (having more than 2 sets of chromosomes) and is thought to be a hybrid between of an East asian and extinct Californian species. Foxtail Barley, Bobtail Barley, Intermediate Barley

All grasses fall into one of two categories, the cool season grasses and the warm season grasses. This refers to the time at which they are in active growth and is a reflection of their underlying biology. It makes a difference to the gardener in that it points to the time of year when it best to propagate and plant your grass. It is most relevant to the warm season grasses which are in active growth only from later in Spring through Summer and particularly resent being split outside of their active growing season. Warm season grasses include Hakonechloa, Imperata, Miscanthus, Panicum and Pennisetum. Cool season grasses include Calamagrostis, Carex, Deschampsia, Festuca, Hordeum and Molinia.

The Cool season grasses are more correctly the C3 grasses, reflecting the fact that they fix carbon from the atmosphere into an initial 3 carbon molecule. This is the metabolic pathway that was earliest to develop and is used by most plants. It uses light to combine Carbon Dioxide and Water with ribulose bisphosphate (a 5 carbon compound) to form 2 molecules of 3-phosphoglycerate, a 3 carbon molecule. It works best under cooler condition but has the disadvantage that the enzyme that moderates the reaction also wastefully combines some Oxygen instead of Carbon Dioxide.

In a later development, the C4 pathway evolved in grasses in warmer climates. They still posses the C3 pathway but also use a method of combining ribulose bisphosphate into a 4 carbon product. This, however requires higher concentrations of Carbon Dioxide which the plants achieve by concentrating it in specialised structures called Krantz Anatomy. This process can fix more carbon from the atmosphere but requires additional energy to concentrate the Carbon Dioxide. Hence it is only possible in warmer conditions.

For those interested, these pathways are 2 of only 3 pathways used to fix carbon from the atmosphere into biomass and hence the turn the Sun’s energy into the overwhelming majority of food on Earth. (There is a minor amount of biomass created through chemical degradation of sulphur compounds around deep sea vents). The 3rd method of Carbon fixing is CAM or Crassulaceous Acid Metabolism which is described under the entry on Sedums. It is method that allows Carbon trapping under much drier conditions.

Additional information

Colour

Flowering Month

, ,

Habit

Height

Position

, , , ,

Pot Size

, , , ,

Title

Go to Top