Poaceae
Avena
Avena sterilis

Avena sterilis subsp. ludoviciana (Durieu) Nyman

First published in Consp. Fl. Eur.: 809 (1882)
This subspecies is accepted
The native range of this subspecies is Canary Islands, Medit. to Central Asia and W. Himalaya. It is an annual and grows primarily in the temperate biome.

Descriptions

Seed Collecting Guide. RBG Kew (2013-2016)

Morphology General Habit
Annual herbs. juvenile growth prostrate to erect, becoming erect, 30--120 cm tall.
Morphology Leaves
ligule acute
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
panicles equilateral, at maturity only lowermost floret disarticulating
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Spikelets
spikelets 2-3.5 cm long excluding awns, 3-4 florets per spikelet
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Glume
glumes approximately equal in length, 25-45 mm long, each with 9-11 veins
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
only lowermost floret disarticulating at maturity, scars broadly elliptic, periphery ring comprising 1/3 of scar
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Lemma
lemmas densely beset with macrohairs below awn insertion point, or sometimes only a few hairs present, apex bisubulate, sometimes bidenticulate awns inserted about about lower 1/3 of lemma
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Palea
paleas with 1-2(-3) rows of cilia along edges of keels, underside beset with prickles or hairs
Ecology
fields, arid places, rocky slopes, river banks, steppes, farmland, in hedges and disturbed s.
Distribution
Northern Europe, Mediterranean, Western Asia, Northern Middle East, Pakistan and India, Canary islands. introduced in Brazil.
Conservation
Near endangered
Phenology
Flower (march - july), fruit (no data)
[SCG]

Sources

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Seed Collection Guides

    • Seed Collection Guides
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0