Investigating wild cereal ecology and the origins of agriculture in southwest Asia
Gallery
Â
Gallery of Levantine wild cereal habitats
This gallery presents photographs of wild cereal habitats in the southern Levant including some of the associated species. The photos were taken during two field trips in spring 2017 and 2019.
Â
Wild emmer (Triticum dicoccoides) at Mt. Gilboa
Wild emmer (Triticum dicoccoides) at Mt. Gilboa
A mixed stand of Triticum dicoccoides, Hordeum spontaneum, Hordeum bulbosum, Avena sterilis and Aegilops geniculata at Mt. Gilboa in early May 2019
Wild emmer ripens when most other large-seeded grasses have shed their spikelets
Dense stands of Aegilops geniculata intermixed with Avena sterilis at Mt. Gilboa
Dense stands of Aegilops geniculata intermixed with Avena sterilis at Mt. Gilboa
Grasslands harbouring Triticum dicoccoides, Hordeum spontaneum and Avena sterilis north of the Sea of Galilee near Kahal
Wild emmer (Triticum dicoccoides) near Kahal
Wild emmer (Triticum dicoccoides) associated with Linum pubescens near Kahal
Grasslands harbouring Triticum dicoccoides, Hordeum spontaneum and Avena sterilis near Kahal in early May 2019 when the grains are fully ripe and most species have shed their spikelets
A brittle ear of wild emmer (Triticum dicoccoides) at Kahal after shedding most spikelets
Wild barley (Hordeum spontaneum) in the Upper Galilee associated with facultative weeds such as Chrysanthemum coronarium (developing fruits) and Notobasis syriaca (flowering)
Maturing (green) and fully ripe (yellow) ears of Hordeum spontaneum
Ear of Hordeum bulbosum, which is regularly associated with the wild progenitor species
The thickened, tuber-like lower culm nodes of Hordeum bulbosum
Hordeum glaucum grows in highly disturbed open places and normally not among the large-seeded wild cereals
Aegilops geniculata forming large monodominant stands near of Rosh Pina in the Upper Galilee Mountains
Flowering ears of Aegilops geniculata
Avena sterilis flowering near Rosh Pina in the Upper Galilee Mountains
Ripe Avena sterilis spikelets
Harvesting grains by swinging a basket through ripe fruit heads works well for panicle grasses such as Avena sterilis. Note the spikelets of Hordeum spontaneum in the harvest
Poa bulbosa can be associated with wild cereal stands (here near Rosh Pina in the Upper Galilee). Charred bulbils have been found at early Neolithic sites such as Jerf el Ahmar (Syria) or Chogha Golan (Iran)
Wild cereals (T. dicoccoides, A. sterilis, H. spontaneum, Ae. peregrina) closely associated with Trifolium purpureum, Anthemis palaestina, Eryngium creticum and Echinops gaillardotii near Safed in the Upper Galilee
Many wild emmer populations in the Levant develop black ears like these individuals near Safed
Mixed stands of Triticum dicoccoides, Hordeum spontaneum and Avena sterilis near Tabgha at the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee in early May 2017. These stands structurally resemble cultivated fields
Even weeks after the wild cereals have shed their spikelets, they are forming a dense carpet on the ground...
...and can be efficiently collected as a mix of spikelets from different species (here T. dicoccoides and H. spontaneum)
Wild emmer (Triticum dicoccoides), oat (Avena sterilis) and barley (Hordeum spontaneum) at Yehudia Forest Reserve in early May 2017
Wild emmer (Triticum dicoccoides), oat (Avena sterilis) and barley (Hordeum spontaneum) at Yehudia Forest Reserve in early May 2017
Open oak and Pistacia woodlands harbouring rich populations of wild cereals near Yehudia Forest Reserve in early May 2017