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Plant - summer
Watson Woods


Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants

Avena fatua - wild oat

Synonyms: Avena fatua var. glabrat, Avena fatua var. vilis 
Other Common Names: flaxgrass, oatgrass, wheat oats, Folle Avoine
Plant Form: Grass

Family: Poaceae


   
 
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Plant - summer
Watson Woods
Sue Smith
Plant - summer
Watson Woods
Sue Smith
Plant - summer
Watson Woods
Sue Smith
Spikelets
Watson Woods
Sue Smith
Seedhead
Watson Woods
Sue Smith
  Grass Description -   Glossary of Grass Terminology

Origin: Introduced    Season: Cool
Habitat Description: Valley and foothill ranges, cultivated soil and waste places. Escapee along roadsides.
Plant Communities:Disturbed Areas
Elevation: 4000 - 7200 feet

Similar Species: Avena occidentalis, Avena sativa
General Description

Desc: Tall, wide-leaved, quick growing grass with drooping seedheads. Considered a weed in 46 states.
Identification Notes: 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: N  Stolons: N
Large Dense Clump (> 2 feet): N  Bushy (highly branched): N
Height with Seedheads: 24 to 36 inches
Seedhead Structure: Branched - open and spreading  Seedhead Droops: Y
Flowering Period: Mar - Aug
Flower Characteristics

Number of Flowers per Spikelet: Multi-flowered  Spikelets One-sided: N
Awns: Greater than 1 inch   Three Awns: N  Awns Bent: Y
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 Charcteristics

Blade Hairy: N    Blade with White Margins: N    Blade Cross section: Flat
Blade Notes: Roughened with stout projections on both sides, 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide and 4 to 18 inches long.
Sheath Hairy: Y    Tuft of Hairs at top of Sheath or Collar: N    Ligules: Membranous
Auricles (Ear-like lobes at collar area: N

Forage Value: Good to excellent for all classes of livestock.

  Arizona Cooperative Extension
Yavapai County
840 Rodeo Dr #C
Prescott, AZ 86305
(928) 445-6590
Version 8.0  
http://cales.arizona.edu/yavapaiplants/SpeciesDetailGrass.php  
Last Updated: Dec 13, 2022
Content Questions/Comments: Email Matt Halldorson  
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