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- Triticum aestivum
Triticum aestivum — bread wheat
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Facts
Bread wheat is thought to have been domesticated in Fertile Crescent around 12,000 years ago. The chief differences between cultivated wheat and its wild ancestors are the larger seeds and the non-shattering rachis which permits harvesting with minimal losses. Today there are many thousands of cultivars. Bread wheat escapes cultivation and colonizes colonizes fields, roadsides and cultivated areas widely across North American and in New England.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), meadows and fields
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
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Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Leaf blade width
- 6–20 mm
- Inflorescence branches
- there are no branch points between the base of the inflorescence axis and the flowers, or they are not obvious
- Spikelet length
- 10–15 mm
- Glume relative length
- neither glume is quite as long as all of the florets
- Awn on glume
- the glume has an awn
- One or more florets
- there is more than one floret per spikelet
- Lemma awn length
- 0–150 mm
- Leaf sheath hair type
-
- there are hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath, but the hairs do not have blisters at their bases
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
-
Flowers
- Anther number
- 3
- Awn on glume
- the glume has an awn
- Bristles below spikelets
- no
- Floret lower bract texture
- the lemma is hard and firm
- Floret number
- 3–9
- Floret types within spikelet
- all the florets within a spikelet are similar
- Glume awn length
- 0–40 mm
- Glume keel
-
- the glume keels are rough or hairy
- the glume keels are smooth and hairless
- Glume relative length
- neither glume is quite as long as all of the florets
- Glume veins
-
- 3
- 5
- 7 or more
- Glumes per spikelet
- 2
- Inflorescence axis hairs
-
- the inflorescence axis is hairy but not rough or sand-papery feeling
- the inflorescence axis is rough and feels like sand-paper
- Inflorescence axis orientation
-
- the inflorescence axis bends downwards or hangs
- the inflorescence axis is arched or curved outward
- the inflorescence axis is straight
- Inflorescence branch length
- 0 cm
- Inflorescence branch roughness
- NA
- Inflorescence branches
- there are no branch points between the base of the inflorescence axis and the flowers, or they are not obvious
- Inflorescence branches coming off the lowest stem node
- 0
- Inflorescence crowding
- NA
- Inflorescence length
- 35–180 mm
- Inflorescence type (general)
- the inflorescence is a spike, or is spike-like, lacking obvious branches
- Inflorescence type (specific)
- the inflorescence is a spike (a long unbranched stem with flowers along it that lack stalks)
- Inforescence position
- the spikelets are mainly carried at the end of the stem
- Lemma awn base
- the awn is attached right at the tip of the lemma
- Lemma awn coiled
- the lemma awn is straight or twisted, but not coiled one half turn
- Lemma awn length
- 0–150 mm
- Lemma awn number
-
- the lemma has no awn
- the lemma has one awn on it
- Lemma awn orientation
-
- the awn of the lemma is straight
- the awn of the lemma on dried or older plants is curved or bent outwards
- Lemma cross-section
-
- the lemma is V-shaped if you cut across the midpoint
- the lemma is flat or rounded if you cut across the midpoint
- Lemma keel hairs
- the keel of the lemma is rough, or has fine hairs
- Lemma surface
- the surface of the lemma is relatively smooth (not counting any longitudinal veins or hairs)
- Lemma tip
- the lemma tip is a simple point, with or without an awn (long narrow extension ending in a point)
- Lemma tip shape
- the lemma tip tapers to a narrow point (it may or may not also have an awn or teeth at the tip)
- Lemma vein number
-
- 5
- 7 or more
- Lemma vein orientation
- the veins on the lemma stay roughly parallel throughout
- Lower glume length
- 6–12 mm
- Lower glume relative length
- the lower glume is nearly as long, or as long as, the upper glume
- One or more florets
- there is more than one floret per spikelet
- Reproductive system
- all the flowers on the plant have both carpels and stamens (synoecious)
- Spikelet axis tip
- there is no extension of the spikelet axis beyond the tip of the spikelet
- Spikelet disintegration
-
- NA
- the spikelet breaks off above the glumes, so that after the florets fall off, the glumes remain
- Spikelet length
- 10–15 mm
- Spikelet number per node
- Up to 1
- Spikelet pedicel
- the spikelets do not have pedicels
- Spikelet pedicel length
- 0 mm
- Spikelet position
- NA
- Spikelet shape
- the spikelets are ovate (egg-shaped, widest below the middle with rounded ends) in profile
- Spikelets per panicle branch
- 0
- Spikelets spiny
- the spikelets do not appear spiny
- Tip of glume
-
- the tip of the glume is divided into two or more points
- the tip of the glume is not divided (though it may have an awn on it)
- Upper glume length
- 6–12 mm
- Upper glume shape
- the upper glume is widest at or below the middle
-
Fruits or seeds
- Groove on seed
- the caryopsis has a groove running most of its length
- Seed length
- 5–7 mm
-
Growth form
- Horizontal rooting stem
- no
- Lifespan
- the plant lives only a single year or less
- Rhizomes
- no
- Roots
- there are only slender roots on the plant
-
Leaves
- Leaf auricles
- the leaves have auricles
- Leaf basal lobe hairy
-
- the lobes at the base of the leaf blades are hairless
- the lobes at the base of the leaf blades have tiny fine hairs on them
- Leaf blade base
- the leaf blade is rounded in to a narrower base, or the blade cuts in abruptly to the narrower base
- Leaf blade cross-section
- the leaf blade is more or less flat in cross-section, or slightly folded or rolled inwards
- Leaf blade hairs
-
- the leaf blade is hairless, but it may have tiny prickles that give it a sand-papery feel
- the leaf blade is hairy
- Leaf blade length
- 10–60 cm
- Leaf blade texture
- the leaf blade is rough and sandpapery
- Leaf blade width
- 6–20 mm
- Leaf ligule type
- the leaf ligule is in the form of a membrane
- Leaf margin glands
- there are no glands along the edges of the leaf blade
- Leaf sheath closed around stem
- the margins of the leaf sheath are overlapping and not fused together except in the basal half (or less)
- Leaf sheath hair type
-
- there are hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath, but the hairs do not have blisters at their bases
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
- Leaf sheath hairs
-
- there are hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
- there are no hairs on the surface of the leaf sheath
- Orientation of topmost leaf
- the flag leaf is held upright, or at less than a 45 degree angle out from the stem
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- meadows or fields
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Hairs at nodes
- the stem nodes are hairless or they have very sparse hairs
- Plant height
- 14–150 cm
- Stem node number
- 6–7
- Stem orientation
- the stems are upright
- Stem spacing
- the stems grow close together in compact clusters or tufts
Wetland status
Not classified
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- not applicable (S-rank: SNA)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
1. Triticum aestivum L. E
bread wheat. Triticum vulgare Vill. • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Fields, roadsides, waste places, areas of cultivation.
Native to North America?
No
Sometimes confused with
- Hordeum vulgare:
- spikelets numbering usually 3 at each node of the inflorescence, with 1 floret (vs. T. aestivum, with spikelets solitary at each node of the inflorescence, with 3-9 florets).
- Triticum turgidum:
- stems solid for ca. 1 cm below spikes, glumes with a well-developed keel in the basal and apical halves, terminating in a short tooth as long as 3 mm, and spikes sometimes branched near the base (vs. T. aestivum, with stems hollow below spikes, glumes usually with a well-developed keel only in the apical half, terminating in a short tooth or long awn as long as 40 mm, and spikes always simple).
Synonyms
- Triticum vulgare Vill.