Natives by ZIP

Native plants recorded in your state and county

Grass or grass-like · Poaceae

Little barley

Hordeum pusillum

Little barley is recorded as native to 42 states and territories in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in 1,054 counties of those states by USDA PLANTS.

Recorded native ranges can include long-established populations that spread from gardens; check your state’s native plant society list for local guidance. How native status is decided.

Key facts · USDA PLANTS

Little barley at a glance

Native in
1,054 counties, across 42 states and territories
Estimated cold hardiness
Zone 10b PLANTS minimum temperature 32°F
Mature height
1.2 ft PLANTS mature height
Light and water
Full sun (shade-intolerant) Medium water use

Estimated cold hardiness: zone 10b. PLANTS gives a minimum temperature of 32°F; zone 10b winters bottom out at 35°F, the coldest half-zone that stays within that limit.

Little barley is recorded as native to 42 states and territories in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in 1,054 counties of those states by USDA PLANTS.

Counties where it is native

The 15 counties with the most ZIP codes among the 1,054 where it is listed.

Native counties by state

Growing traits

Values from the PLANTS characteristics record. “Not recorded” means PLANTS has no value; nothing here is estimated except the zone.

Growth

Growth habit
Graminoid
Duration
Annual
Mature height
1.2 ft
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth form
Bunch
Shape
Erect
Lifespan
Not recorded
Active growth period
Spring

Light and water

Shade tolerance
Intolerant (full sun (shade-intolerant))
Moisture use
Medium water use
Drought tolerance
Low
Tolerance of waterlogged soil
Medium
Precipitation range
10 to 60 in per year

Soil

Soil textures
Medium and fine
pH range
6.2 to 8
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance
Medium
Salinity tolerance
Medium
Fertility requirement
Low
Minimum root depth
8 in

Climate

Minimum temperature
32°F
Estimated cold hardiness
Zone 10b and warmer
Minimum frost-free days
80
Fire tolerance
None

Flowers, leaves and fruit

Flower color
Yellow
Showy flowers
No
Bloom period
Late Spring
Foliage color
Green
Showy in fall
No
Keeps leaves
No
Fruit color
Brown

Other

Toxicity
None
Nitrogen fixation
None
Nursery availability
No Known Source
Family
Poaceae
PLANTS symbol
HOPU

Is it native where you live?

Matches your ZIP to the county it mostly lies in, then lists the plants recorded as native to your state (Kew’s World Checklist and USDA PLANTS) and recorded in that county by USDA PLANTS.

Source & data date

Source
USDA NRCS PLANTS Database: county distribution records, native status and plant characteristics. CC0 (public domain dedication, per the data.gov catalog record).
Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP): native or introduced status by state. CC BY 3.0.
USGS US-RIIS (ver. 2.0): species listed as introduced are excluded. CC0.
Citation
USDA, NRCS. 2026. The PLANTS Database (https://plants.usda.gov, 11/04/2026). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA.
Govaerts R. (ed.) (2026). WCVP: World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Data file dated 2026-06-04, http://sftp.kew.org/pub/data-repositories/WCVP/ (retrieved 2026-11-04). Paper: Govaerts R. et al. (2021) The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity. Scientific Data 8, 215.
Data date
Retrieved from PLANTS on November 4, 2026; WCVP data file dated June 4, 2026.
Scope
Hordeum pusillum (PLANTS symbol HOPU).
Method
A species is listed when it is recorded as native to the state in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in the county by USDA PLANTS. Species PLANTS labels both native and introduced are listed separately. Full method · All sources

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