Common name: Red Oat, Algerian Oat
Avena byzantina K.Koch APNI*
Description: Annual usually to c. 1.5 m high; culms glabrous.
Leaves with ligule membranous, 3–7 mm long, truncate; to 15 mm wide, scabridulous.
Panicle open, to 25 cm long. Spikelets 25–35 mm long, each with 3 or 4 florets. Glumes subequal, 7–9-nerved, 24–29 mm long; rachilla not disarticulating at maturity, but breaking at the base of the segment below each floret. Lemmas narrow-lanceolate, 15–20 mm long, glabrous except for a basal tuft of long hairs; apex with teeth 0.5–1.5 mm long; awn 25–35 mm long, without a distinct column, flexuous but not geniculate, the lowest 1 or rarely 2 lemmas awned.
Distribution and occurrence: Used in breeding some oat varieties; possibly escaped near research establishments, but not yet recorded as naturalized.
NSW subdivisions: ?LHI
Other Australian states: *W.A.
Text by S. W. L. Jacobs & S. M. Hastings Taxon concept: P.S. Green (1994)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data ***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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