Scientific Family
Poaceae
Synonyms
Avena fatua var. glabrat, Avena fatua var. vilisÂ
Other common names
flaxgrass
oatgrass
wheat oats
Folle Avoine
Plant type
Grasses
Riparian
No
Grass Description
Origin
Introduced
Season
Cool
Valley and foothill ranges, cultivated soil and waste places. Escapee along roadsides.
Plant Community
Disturbed Areas
Low elevation
4000
High elevation
7200
Similar species
Avena occidentalis, Avena sativa
General Description
Tall, wide-leaved, quick growing grass with drooping seedheads. Considered a weed in 46 states.
Spikelets are mostly 3-flowered, lemma awns are bent and twisted; lemmas are long-hairy on their back; florets fall easily from the glumes. A. sativa has 2-flowered spikelets and straight awns.
Grass type
Annual
Rhizomes
No
Stolons
No
Clump Diameter 2 ft or more
No
Bushy - highly branched
No
Height with Seedheads
24 inches or more
Seedhead Structure
Branched - open and spreading
Seedhead droops
Yes
First bloom month
March
Last bloom month
August
Flower Characteristics
Flowers per Spikelet
Multi-flowered
Spikelets One-Sided
No
Awns
Greater than 1 inch
Three Awns
No
Awns bent
Yes
Flower and Seedhead Notes
Open, drooping and loose, branches unequal. Lemma awned from back and hairy. Awns 1 to 1-1/2 inches long and bent abruptly, spikelets mostly 3 flowered.
Vegetative Characteristics
Blade is hairy
No
Blade margins white
No
Blade cross-section
Flat
Roughened with stout projections on both sides, 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide and 4 to 18 inches long.
Sheath is hairy
Yes
Tufts of hair top of sheath or collar
No
Ligule
Membranous
Auricles
No
Good to excellent for all classes of livestock.