Avena sterilis
L. Sterile OatCulms erect, to 160 cm high. Leaves glabrous or sparsely ciliate near base; blade finely scabrous to 45 cm long and 25 mm wide; ligule membranous, to 8 mm long. Inflorescence a loose but rather narrow panicle to 40 cm long. Spikelets rather few per inflorescence, drooping, 3–5-flowered; glumes lanceolate, 30–50 mm long, 9–11-nerved; lemma lanceolate, 23–30 mm long (including apical lobes), bilobed at apex with teeth to 3.5 mm long, the lower two lemmas with silky hairs over the lower two-thirds, upper florets commonly glabrous; awn 60–9070 mm long, inserted below midway on lemma; palea 3–10 mm shorter than lemma. Florets falling united at maturity. Flowers Sep.–Dec.
LoM, MuM, Wim, VVP, VRiv, MuF, GipP, OtP, Gold, CVU, NIS, HSF.
Very similar to A. ludoviciana (which has been regarded as a subspecies of A. sterilis) but distinguished by the larger spikelets. It tends to flower and fruit later in the year than A. ludoviciana.
Walsh, N.G. (1994). Poaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 2, Ferns and Allied Plants, Conifers and Monocotyledons, pp. 356–627. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
Spinning
