Wild Oat
Avena sterilis
Stout erect annual introduced grass to 1.5 m tall. Rough flat finely-grooved leaves grow mostly from the base, 30 cm long and 8 mm wide. Open nodding flowering units (spikelets) are up to 40 cm long. Stout bent awn.
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Flora Type | Grasses |
| Distinctive Features | Stout bristle or awn > 40 mm long. |
| Biology | Annual. Palatable grass but its benefits are outweighed by its negative impacts. Invasive species in cropland and pasture. |
| Native Status | Introduced |
| Taxonomy | |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Tracheophyta (Vascular Plants) |
| Class | Magnoliopsida (Flowering Plants) |
| Order | Poales |
| Family | Poaceae |
| Genus | Avena |
| Species | sterilis |
The seedheads twist or move when exposed to sudden moisture due to the hygroscopic action of the bristle or awns which is designed to drill it into the soil.
| Interesting Facts | |
|---|---|
| Similar Species | Seed is longer and wider than the similar Wild Oat A. fatua. There are several subspecies. |
| Native Status | Introduced |