The vernal barley (Hordeum intercedens) is a small tufted annual grass. As the plant matures, its color shifts from a vibrant green to a golden brown. Upon close inspection, you’ll notice this member of the grass (Poaceae) family appears as a thick blade of grass on a tall, slender stalk, but you’ll find multiple thin, needle-like blades on the grain head, each keeping hold of one to several tiny flowers. Those spikey, bristle-like extensions are known as awns, a common characteristic that appears on the florets of various grasses. A wind-pollinated species, like most grasses, it relies on the wind to disperse its pollen over relatively short distances.

Vernal barley grows only a few inches in height and is often difficult to distinguish from other barley species, adding a layer of complexity to the task of identifying and conserving this unique plant. 

Vernal barley is adapted to saline, alkaline soils, and can be found in clay or silty-clay soils. Suitable habitats for vernal barley include grasslands, vernal pools, and alkali scrub. These types of environments are typically nutrient-poor and experience seasonal fluctuations in water availability, often going from waterlogged in the wet season to completely dry in the summer. Vernal barley survives these fluctuations by completing its life cycle in the wet season and setting seed before the habitat dries out. As one of the 146 species protected under the Western Riverside Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP), vernal barley is threatened by urbanization, agricultural conversion, livestock trampling, channelization, and alteration of hydrology.

The vernal barley plays an important role in the ecosystem it inhabits. Its seeds provide food for birds and small mammals, while the plant itself contributes to the overall structure and function of grassland and wetland ecosystems. Its ability to thrive in saline and alkaline soils also helps to stabilize soil in these often-disturbed habitats, which reduces erosion and provides a foundation for other plants to establish. In this way, it helps to maintain biodiversity in these often harsh environments.

Twelve known populations occur along the San Jacinto River in Nuevo, Perris, and the San Jacinto Wildlife Area, but the species is also expected to occur in the Temecula-Murrieta, Santa Rosa Plateau, and Anza areas on lands that have yet to come into conservation.

Thanks to the MSHCP, approximately 6,900 acres of land have been described for conservation to support this species.