Publication: Sp. Pl. 1: 80. 1753.

Origin: Introduced from Eurasia

Herbarium search: CPNWH

Notes: FNA24: "Avena fatua is native to Europe and central Asia. It is known as a weed in most temperate regions of the world; in some parts of Canada and the United States it is considered a noxious weed.

Avena fatua is sometimes confused with A. occidentalis, but differs in having shorter, wider spikelets, fewer florets, and a distal floret which does not have a heart-shaped disarticulation scar. Hybrids between A. fatua and A. sativa are common in plantings of cultivated oats. The hybrids resemble A. sativa, but differ in having the fatua-type lodicule; some also have a weak awn on the first lemma. They are easily confused with fatuoid forms of A. sativa."

Last updated 11/24/2023 by David Giblin.