Flora of the Hawaiian Islands
Monocotyledon Literature for Avena fatua
Wagner et al., 1990, 1999.
   Poaceae -- The Grass Family Bibliography
      Avena fatua

Common name(s): oat, wild oat
General Information
DistributionNative to Eurasia and northern Africa, introduced into southern Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and the New World.In the Hawaiian Islands, naturalized on Kaua`i, O`ahu, Lana`i, Maui, Hawai`i.

Poaceae - Avena fatua Poaceae - Avena fatua















Habit
Stout annuals; culms (2.5-)4.5-9(-19) dm tall.
Leaves
Sheaths glabrous, smooth, with margins overlapping and eventually spreading; ligule 2-5.5(-7) mm long, obtuse, erose-ciliate, often pubescent; blades flat, 3-10(-15) mm wide, scabrous to somewhat pilose.
Flowers
Inflorescences paniculate, 10-25(-38) cm long, open; spikelets 2-3(4)-flowered, rachilla densely pubescent, readily disarticulating above glumes and between florets; glumes prominently (7-)9-11-nerved, first glume narrowly lanceolate, 19-26(-29) mm long, apex acuminate, second glume lanceolate, 20-28(-30) mm long, apex acuminate; lemmas 14-20(-23) mm long, 5-7-nerved, the nerves often obscure on the glossy, indurate lower 1/2, glabrous to moderately pilose, bilobed, the lobes less than 1 mm long, callus usually densely pilose, awns usually only on first 2 florets, (18-)28-45(-52) mm long, stout, tightly twisted below the knee, tapering above; palea firm, the 2 keels ciliate.
Fruit
Caryopsis pale brown, linear-lanceoloid, ca. 6 mm long, appressed pubescent.
Chromosomes
2n = 14, 28, 42, 48