Avena sativa L.
common oat
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
common oat
Poaceae (Grass family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information click to expand contents
General:
Annual grass from fibrous roots; stems hollow, up to 100 cm tall.
Leaves:
Sheaths open; blades flat; ligules 2-4 mm long, membranous, short-hairy, rounded, the margins finely jagged and fringed with small hairs.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a large, open panicle, the branches pendulous; spikelets usually with 2 or sometimes, 3 florets; glumes 20-25 mm long, about equal, both usually surpassing the florets; lemmas lanceolate, the lower lemmas with awns arising just above the middle, the awns straight to slightly twisted or curved, up to 15 mm longer than the lemmas, the upper lemma awnless; lemmas much hardened and smooth to above midlength, the upper portions thickened, greenish and prominently ribbed, entire or very shallowly bilobed at the tips, the calluses smooth or sparsely bearded; rachillas not readily disarticulating between the florets, smooth or sparsely stiff-hairy, firm; anthers 3-4 mm long; lodicules linear, about 1.8 mm long.
Illustration click to expand contents
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If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
USDA Species Characteristics click to expand contents
Flower Colour:
Yellow
Blooming Period:
Late Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present over the Summer
Source: The USDA
Ecology click to expand contents
Ecological Framework for Avena sativa
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
Elevation
(metres) |
410 | 410 | 410 |
Slope
Gradient (%) |
35 | 35 | 35 |
Aspect (degrees) |
45 | 45 | 45 |
Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
4 | 4 | 4 |
Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
|||
#
of field plots species was recorded in: |
1 | ||
Modal
BEC Zone Class |
IDF | ||
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
IDF(1) | ||
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
Habitat and Range click to expand contents
Dry to mesic fields, roadsides, railways and waste areas in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; infrequent in S BC; introduced from Eurasia.
Status Information click to expand contents
Synonyms click to expand contents
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Avena byzantina K. Koch
Avena fatua var. sativa (L.) Hausskn.
Avena hybrida Peterm. ex Rchb.
Avena sativa var. orientalis (Schreb.) Alef.