Hordeum murinum ssp. Click on image to enlarge. Seedlings have hairy foliage, similar to those of wild oat .
Plants have characteristic long and narrow auricles clasping the stem and papery ligules.
Dense, bristly flower head has conspicuous awns. Mature plant grows in spreading tufts. At maturity, flower spikes break apart into several pieces. Grass ID illustration. The Regents of the University of California.