Wheat growing in gravel... with essentially no roots. Is this normal?

I found this roughly one foot tall plant growing on compacted gravel on the side of a road. When I touched it, it feel over - which surprised me, because I really had not done anything that should have uprooted anything. Upon examination, it appears to have no roots longer than one half inch.

https://imgur.com/a/FrIJc

Is it normal for wheat to be able to do this?

Some more info would be helpful. Where was the plant/gravel? I could see this if it was in a place that had lots of liquid nutrients.

It was near Interior, South Dakota, just outside Badlands National Park. It was a two-lane road, so I'm sure there is runoff when it rains, but immediate drainage thereafter I assume. It looks like the area gets 2-3 inches of rain a month: http://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/interior/south-dakota/united-states/ussd0166

It was between a parking lot and empty, open space. No agriculture in the immediate area.