Sterile Oat - introduced (*Avena sterilis)

Native to the Mediterranean area and Asia. Annual. C3.

Family. Poaceae (Grass family).

Identification:

• it has a loose open flower spray
• the glumes are longer than the lemma bodies
• the spikelets have 2 or 3 lemmas
• the lemmas are awned
• the leaves are flat
• the ligules are 1-7mm long and finely hairy or hairless.
• the lemmas are hairy near the base and taper to short teeth (1-2mm long)
• the long awn (30-65mm) rises from the middle of the lemma
• the two lemmas fall as a unit.

Uncommon.

It is an environmental weed.

sterilis: barren.