Sea Barley (Hordeum marinum ssp. marinum)
Sea Barley (Hordeum marinum ssp. marinum) is a neat, compact grass of the upper saltmarsh, sea walls, and the grassy margins of brackish coastal habitats. It is restricted in Britain to the south and east coasts of England, where suitable estuarine and coastal grassland conditions occur. Suffolk’s estuaries – particularly the Orwell, Stour, Deben, and Alde – support populations of this attractive annual, which can form conspicuous stands on the drier, sun-exposed banks of sea walls and grazing marsh edges. It is sensitive to vegetation enrichment and rank grass growth, and lightly managed coastal grassland is the key to its persistence. Image: © gjecology, iNaturalist.
Find out more: iNaturalist, Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora
Suffolk’s Priority Fern and Flowering Plant Species
Key
Listed as a conservation priority in Suffolk’s Biodiversity Action Plan.
Closely associated with Suffolk’s landscape and natural identity.
Identified as a key priority for recovery under Suffolk’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy.
Has a Species of the Month article attached.
