Common name: Common Wheat, Bread Wheat
Triticum aestivum L. APNI* 
Description: Robust annual to c. 1 m high.
Leaves with ligule membranous, 0.5–2 mm long, obtuse, erose; auricles membranous, hairy or glabrous; blade flat, to 2 cm wide.
Inflorescence 5–15 cm long (excluding awns), to 2 cm wide (excluding awns); rachis flattened, flexuous, sometimes velvety with hairs to 0.1 mm long, edges pubescent with hairs to 1.5 mm long (longest toward the nodes). Spikelets 12–17 mm long (excluding awns); florets 3–6, upper 1 or 2 florets often sterile. Glumes 10–12 mm long, apex truncate and/or toothed, upper 25% silky with hairs to 0.5 mm long, rigid; awn terminal, antrorsely barbed, straight, to 7.5 mm long. Lemmas 10–13 mm long, truncate and/or toothed and/or awned, 7-nerved, upper 25% silky with hairs to 0.5 mm long. Palea c. 12 mm long.
Flowering: spring.
Distribution and occurrence: Common along roadsides in wheat-growing areas. Native of Medit. region.
NSW subdivisions: *NC, *CC, *ST, *CWS, *NWP
Other Australian states: *Qld *Vic. *W.A. *S.A.
T. durum Desf. resembles T. aestivum, but, the spike rachis of the former is usually hairy at the nodes, and glumes have a crested keel throughout their length. Because breeding and selection of cultivars has been so intensive there is considerable morphological variation in Triticum aestivum. X Triticale is a hybrid between wheat and rye is now grown as a cereal and forage crop, and is commonly planted to stabilize roadsides in N.S.W.
Text by S. W. L. Jacobs & K. L. McClay
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 4 (1993)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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