Annual (winter or spring). Stems 50–120 cm. Leaves: lower sheaths and blades usually hairless; blades flat, 6–15 mm wide. Inflorescence erect, 6–12 cm long, rachis not readily disarticulating at maturity. Spikelets all fertile in six-row barley, the laterals sterile in two-row barley, pedicel about 0.5 mm long; glumes awn-like though slightly broadened above the base, 8–15 mm long. Lemmas: fertile lemma 8–12 mm long, the awns of some varieties of barley are >4 cm long, while other varieties lack such an awn (Lavin in
Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).