Difference Between Wheat and Barley

1. Stem Difference

The wheat stems are erect, clumped, with 6 to 7 nodes, 60 to 100 cm high, and 5 to 7 mm in diameter. The leaf sheaths loosely wrap around the stems, the ligules are membranous, about 1 mm long, and the leaves are long lanceolate.

The stems of barley are thick, smooth, hairless, upright, about 50 to 100 cm high, with lanceolate auricles on both sides. The leaves are 9 to 20 cm long, 7 to 20 mm wide, and flat.

2. Flower Differences

The wheat spike inflorescence is upright, about 5 to 10 cm long and 1 to 1.5 cm wide, and the spikelet contains 3 to 9 flowers.

Barley spikes are 3 to 8 cm long and about 1.5 cm in diameter.

3. Fruit Difference

Wheat fruit has a yellow-brown peel and is flat, round or oval in shape. The two ends of the fruit are slightly pointed or blunt, and contain starch grains. The fruit powder is white with small pieces of yellow-brown peel.

Barley caryopsis is oval, and the seeds of the fruit are wrapped in a husk.