Field Guide to Noxious and Other Selected Weeds of British Columbia
Wild Oats
(Avena fatua)
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- Provincial Noxious Weed
- annual grass with hollow erect stems from 0.3 to 1 metre tall;
leaves of seedlings twist counter-clockwise when viewed from
above; yellow to black seeds with a a bent, twisted bristle (awn);
seeds with a circular scar (sucker mouth) at the base
- seeds can remain viable in soil for over 10 years
- cultivated oats lack the circular scar on the seed and either
lack an awn or the awn is straight
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Heavily bearded flowers. Awns are twisted and bent at right
angles when mature |
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Base of leaf blades are slightly hairy |
Photos courtesy of Dean Swan, Washington State University (retired)
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