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barbed oat, slender oat, slender wild oat, slim oat

Habit Plants annual.
Culms

60-80 (150) cm, initially prostrate, usually becoming erect.

Sheaths

of the basal leaves pilose, upper sheaths usually glabrous;

ligules 1-6 mm, obtuse;

blades 6-30 cm long, 2-20 mm wide, glabrous or pilose.

Panicles

15-35.5 (50) cm long, 6-12 cm wide, erect or nodding.

Spikelets

21-30 mm, with 2-3 florets;

disarticulation beneath each floret;

disarticulation scars elliptic to triangular.

Glumes

subequal, 15-30 mm, 7-9-veined;

calluses bearded, hairs 2-3 mm;

lemmas 15-26 mm, densely strigose below midlength, apices acute, biaristate, 2 veins extending 2-4 mm beyond the apices, awns 30-45 mm, arising about midlength, geniculate;

lodicules narrowly triangular, without lobes on the wings;

anthers 2.5-4 mm.

2n

= 28.

Avena barbata

Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; MA; MT; NM; NV; OR; WA; HI
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Avena barbata is native to the Mediterranean region and central Asia. It has become naturalized in western North America, particularly California, displacing native grasses. It was collected once in Vancouver, British Columbia, but should be considered a waif there.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 24, p. 735.
Parent taxa Poaceae > subfam. Pooideae > tribe Poeae > Avena
Sibling taxa
A. fatua, A. hybrida, A. occidentalis, A. sativa, A. sterilis
Name authority Pott ex Link
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