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.
Regional range: Mediterranean region and Western Asia