Hordeum marinum Huds.

Loosely tufted, rather stiff, green to bluish green annuals, 10–30–(45) cm, sometimes reduced to a single shoot. Leaf-sheath without auricles, lower densely and minutely pubescent, upper glabrous, the uppermost inflated. Ligule 0.3–0.4 mm, ciliate. Leaf-blade 1.5–7 cm × 1–3.5 mm, flat, acute, extremely minutely pubescent. Culm (4)–8–25–(35) cm, erect, or geniculate below, internodes glabrous. Raceme erect, dense-flowered, green, purplish, or brownish, oblong or ovate, (0.8)–2–6–(8) × 1.5–2.5–(3) cm, including awns; rachis fragile, margins hairy. Central ☿ spikelet sessile; lateral spikelets Ø, on strong pedicels c. 1 mm. Lateral spikelets: glumes ± equal in length but dissimilar in shape, outer entirely awn-like, 13–22 mm, inner with a broad (0.5–1 mm) basal wing 3–5.5 mm, tipped by an awn 10–18 mm, both glumes overtopping lemma awns; lemma 3–6 mm, abaxially glabrous, adaxially with scattered hairs, tipped by scabrid awn 2.5–6 mm; palea = lemma, abaxially smooth but scabrid on keels near apex, adaxially minutely pubescent in upper ½; rachilla prolongation 1–1.5 mm. Central spikelet: glumes ± equal, similar, awn-like, scabrid, 13–20 mm, < awned lemma; lemma 6–7.5 mm, abaxially glabrous, adaxially minutely pubescent near base of scabrid awn 6–17 mm; palea = lemma, folded, scabrid on keels above, adaxially prickle-toothed near produced apex; rachilla prolongation 3.5–5 mm. Lodicules 1.0–1.25 mm, shortly ciliate, narrow. Anthers 1–1.5–(1.8) mm. Gynoecium: ovary c. 1.0 mm; stigma-styles 1.2–1.5 mm. Caryopsis 3–4–5 × 1–1.5 mm; embryo 0.5 mm.

[From: Edgar and Connor (2000) Flora of New Zealand. Volume 5 (second printing). as Critesion marinum (Huds.) Á.Löve]