Foxtail barley
Discuss this plant with the guide — choose this profile as a possible match and prepare your observations for Colorado Plants & Practical Care.
Hordeum jubatum
Colorado native. C-foxtail
Barbed seed awns injure animals. Native status, garden use and noxious-weed class are separate from toxicity. Exposure help.
Still researching this plant
This is a sourced working profile. The cited findings are available below. Independent botanical and veterinary review is pending. Uncertainty is not a finding that the plant is safe.
Three views of this plant
Photos are source-identified examples, not a complete identification key. Check leaves, stems, flowers and fruit together. Locations are not assumed to be in Colorado.
Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo source and identification
Original record · Original image
Wikimedia Commons source file title and species metadata identify the taxon. Visible morphology was checked for consistency, not treated as an independent botanical determination.
No edits to the downloaded image. Wikimedia may have supplied a scaled thumbnail; original and download URLs are recorded separately. Gallery display preserves the full image; the catalog preview uses a CSS crop.
Ayotte, Gilles, 1948- · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo source and identification
Original record · Original image
Wikimedia Commons source file title and species metadata identify the taxon. Visible morphology was checked for consistency, not treated as an independent botanical determination.
No edits to the downloaded image. Wikimedia may have supplied a scaled thumbnail; original and download URLs are recorded separately. Gallery display preserves the full image; the catalog preview uses a CSS crop.
Ayotte, Gilles, 1948- · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo source and identification
Original record · Original image
Wikimedia Commons source file title and species metadata identify the taxon. Visible morphology was checked for consistency, not treated as an independent botanical determination.
No edits to the downloaded image. Wikimedia may have supplied a scaled thumbnail; original and download URLs are recorded separately. Gallery display preserves the full image; the catalog preview uses a CSS crop.
Recognize
A short-lived perennial bunchgrass with silky, often pink-tinged seedheads. It commonly occupies moist, disturbed or saline sites. C-foxtail
Plants & habitat
Can increase under heavy grazing as livestock avoid mature seedheads. Management should reduce seed production and support desirable grasses. C-foxtail
People
Sharp seed awns can catch on clothing; avoiding direct contact is a physical-risk precaution. This is not a chemical-poison diagnosis. C-foxtail
Evidence scope: Editorial physical-risk inference.
Dogs & cats
Grass awns can lodge in tissue and migrate, causing serious injury. Avoid mature seedheads and seek veterinary assessment for suspected embedded awns. The pet source discusses foxtails broadly. S22
Evidence scope: Grass-awn group; not a species-specific pet case series.
Other animals
Mature awns injure livestock mouths, noses and eyes. Contaminated hay is unsafe and should not be fed or sold. C-foxtail
Before taking action
Confirm the scientific name before removing a plant, changing animal access, or choosing treatment. An evidence gap means this review has not resolved the question. It does not mean safe. For listed weeds, consult your county weed program about the requirements for your location; follow the current label for any pesticide. S27
References
- C-foxtail — Foxtail barley, Colorado State University Extension. Accessed 2026-09-07T00:24:02+00:00. Locator: Species entries.
- S22 — Foxtails and Dogs, UC Davis · School of Veterinary Medicine. Accessed 2026-09-06. Locator: Takeaways; signs; prevention.