About Avena sterilis L.
Avena sterilis L. has multiple common names: animated oat, sterile oat, wild oat, wild red oat, and winter wild oat. Its recognized synonyms include Avena ludoviciana Durieu, Avena macrocarpa Moench, Avena sterilis ssp. sterilis, and Avena sterilis ssp. ludoviciana. It is an edible-seeded grass species that typically grows as a weed. Many of its common names reference the movement of its panicle when blown by wind.
Avena sterilis is native to the Mediterranean Basin, as well as West, Central, and South Asia. It has been widely naturalized in other regions, and grows on every continent except Antarctica. In North America, it is an introduced species found in the U.S. states of California, Oregon, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, and in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec.
Avena sterilis is a hexaploid annual plant. Its life cycle matches the life cycle of many cereal crops. A single individual plant can produce up to 200 seeds, but the average seed production per plant ranges from 13 to 21 seeds. Seeds can remain viable in soil for at least two years, and can survive for up to five years before germinating.
