Species

Avena fatua

Etymology

Avena: Ancient Latin name for oats.

Common Name(s)

wild oat

Authority

Avena fatua L.

Family

Poaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

NVS Species Code

AVEFAT

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Grasses

Similar Taxa

Root system extensive and fibrous. Stems smooth, stout, 0.3-1.2 m high. Leaves 7.5-20cm long, resembling those of tame oats. Spikelets distinguished by long dark awns, the lower part twisted, the upper parts bent sharply at right angles to twisted parts. (Wax, Fawcett, Isley eds. 1981).

Year Naturalised

1872

Origin

Eurasia and N. Africa

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Reproduces by seed. Seeds vary from white to yellow, brown, grey, or black; are usually hairy, especially near base. Distinguished from cultivated oats by the round

This page last updated on 30 Jul 2014