Black Oat

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©Photo: (CC BY 2.5 AU) Kevin Sparrow via natureshare.org.au

Avena fatua

Stout erect annual introduced drooping grass to 120 cm tall. Hairless flat leaves grow mostly from the base, 30 cm long and 8 mm wide. Flowerheads (spikelets) are pyramid-shaped, loose and one-sided. They become papery as they mature.

Details
Flora Type
Grasses
Other Common Names
Wild Oat
Distinctive Features

Seeds are golden brown, covered in long hairs with a bristle or awn. Mature seedheads are papery.

Biology

Annual. Palatable to livestock when young.

Native Status
Introduced
Flowering Time

Sep-Jan

Taxonomy
Phylum
Tracheophyta (Vascular Plants)
Class
Magnoliopsida (Flowering Plants)
Order
Poales
Family
Poaceae
Genus
Avena
Species
fatua

Source: Atlas of Living Australia

Native to southern Europe but naturalised throughout much of the world. Common weed of cropland and pasture.

Interesting Facts
Native Status
Introduced