AVENA FATUA

Common names: Wild Oats
Description: Annual grass with hollow stems. Stand at .3 to 1 meter tall.
Flowers: 25-40 mm awns hang off spikelets in an open pannicle arrangement. Awns contain a yellow to black seed with a circular scar at the base.
Leaves: Base of leaves are hairy, 4-12 mm wide and up to 45 cm long, are thin and tend to twist over.
Reproduction: By seed. Seeds fall to ground when mature and may stay viable in the ground for up to 10 years.
Flowering: April to June.
Habitat and Ecology: Native to the Meditteranean.

Wild oats are mixed with hay and distributed about the country this way. This makes it very difficult to control.