Identifying Small Grains

Small grains (wheat, barley, rye and oats) can be distinguished by leaf morphology.

culm - the stem
leaf sheath - the part of the leaf that stays wrapped around the culm
leaf blade - the part of the leaf that sticks out (and looks like a leaf)
ligule - a thin collar on the base of the blade that wraps around the culm
auricle - projections from the base of the blade that may wrap around the culm

Ligules and auricles in particular have taxonomic value for small grains...

Wheat
short, hairy, clasping auricles
prominent ligule
hairy leaf blade and sheath

Barley
long, smooth, clasping auricles
inconspicuous ligules
hairy leaf sheath and blade (usually)

Rye
very short, smooth, pointed auricles
very small and inconspicuous ligules

Triticale (wheat x rye hybrid)
short, hairy, clasping auricles
prominent ligules
leaf blade and sheath hairy

Oats
no auricles
prominent, short ligules
hairless leaf sheath and blade hairless (or almost)


So, the crop growing across the street from my apt must be barley! (due to its long auricles wrapped around the culm and the lack of obvious ligules - see pic) The spikes on these plants have two rows of grain, which Wikipedia claims is typical of brewing barley.


Know of any other ways to tell these (or other very similar) crops apart?


References
Victoria
Texas Tech
Handbook of Food Science, Technology and Engineering