Weeds Identification Gallery

Volunteer Wheat

  • Triticum sp.
  • Grass Family: Poaceae
Updated: 01/2026

Volunteer wheat is an occasional weedy annual grass in crops that follow commercial wheat in crop rotations.

wheat head at soft dough stage turning yellow Davis, Credit: Jack Kelly Clark, UC IPM
Flower head. Credit: Jack Kelly Clark, UC IPM

Mature Plant

Plants grow from about 2 to 4 feet (0.6–1.2 m) tall and sprout at the base.

Flag leaf ligule just emerging on left, ligule completely emerged on right; Davis, Credit: Jack Kelly Clark, UC IPM
Young wheat stems and leaf blades. Credit: Jack Kelly Clark, UC IPM

Collar Region

Wheat can be distinguished from most other grasses by the way the ligules clasp the stem but barely overlap. Ligules on barley plants are longer and overlap one another more completely.

collar region showing auricle structure of barley, wheat, oats Davis, Credit: Jack Kelly Clark, UC IPM
Collar of wheat (middle). Credit: Jack Kelly Clark, UC IPM

More Information

UC IPM logo with an outline of the state of california in the back drop and the UC ANR logo below.
Home and Landscape: Instagram | Facebook
Use Permissions and Citations | Nondiscrimination Statement | Acknowledgements | Accessibility | Privacy Statement | Staff-Only Page

©1996—2026 Statewide IPM Program, Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California Regents of the University of California unless otherwise noted.