Family |
Poaceae
Avena sterilis
L.
Avena sterilis L.
(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 1, Pl. XXV nº 1; 1966)
Life-form & habit: Annual grass, culms erect, robust, exceeding 1 m in height and 5 mm in diameter; nodes brown, glabrous or pubescent.
Leaves: Ligule 4–6 mm, truncate and eroded; blades up to 35 cm long and 1–1.2 cm wide, somewhat scabrous.
Inflorescence & flowers: Panicle spreading or nodding, reaching 40 cm. Spikelets large, with 2–5 flowers; the two lower flowers usually awned and very hairy, the upper ones sterile, muticous, and glabrous. All flowers fall together with the lowest flower.
Glumes: Subequal, 25–50 mm long, with 9–11 nerves, papery. Rachilla glabrous.
Lemmas: Firm, yellow or brown, 7-nerved; lower lemmas densely hairy from base to mid-length, scabrous above, apex bidentate. Awn inserted near mid-length, geniculate and twisted, 5–6 cm long.
Phenology: Flowers from March to May.
Habitat & elevation: Fields and uncultivated land.
Lebanese distribution: Ct. Saïda, Khaldé, Beirut, Nahr Damour, Nahr Beyrouth, Qalmoun, Tripoli; Mi. Jamhour, ‘Achqout, Bikfaya, Mrouj, Douma, Ras el-Metn, ‘Aley; Mm. Roueissat, Dimane, Qannoubine; Hem. Hasbaya; Met. Zahlé, Chtaura, A.U.B. farm.
Syrian distribution: ‘Afrine, Homs-Hama, Aleppo, Bloudane, Ghouta, Jabal Qasyoun, W. of Damascus, Mass‘adé, Soueida; Sud. Banias.
Native range: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Baleares, Bulgaria, Canary Is., Corse, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Gulf States, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kirgizstan, Kriti, Krym, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Morocco, North Caucasus, NW. Balkan Pen., Pakistan, Palestine, Portugal, Primorye, Romania, Sardegna, Saudi Arabia, Sicilia, Sinai, South European Russia, Spain, Tadzhikistan, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Türkey, Türkey-in-Europe, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, West Himalaya, Yemen. (KEW)
Introduced into: Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Austria, Azores, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, California, Cape Provinces, Central European Russia, Chile Central, China South-Central, Costa Rica, Czechia-Slovakia, Ecuador, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Japan, Madeira, Mexico Central, New Jersey, New South Wales, New Zealand North, New Zealand South, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Peru, Queensland, Québec, Réunion, South Australia, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tasmania, Uruguay, Venezuela, Victoria, Western Australia, Western Sahara. (KEW)