1SS 



GRASSES OF IOWA. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Common Oats. A well known, 

 erect annual, 2 to 4 feet (5-10 dm.) 

 high, with flat leaves and expanded 

 panicles of rather large, pendulous 

 and usually two-flowered spikelets. 

 Lower florets sometimes awned. 

 Oats is commonly cultivated in all 

 sections of Iowa. Its culture is, 

 however, most successful in the 

 northern part of the state. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



Iowa. Ames (Hodson); Fair- 

 field (Rich and Gossard) ; Webster 

 City (Pammel) ; Manchester 

 (Hoyt); Cedar Rapids (Miss 

 Hall); Alden, 1125 (Stevens); 

 Calhoun County (Rigg) ; Johnson 

 County (S'himek) ; Marshalltown 

 ( Pammel ) . 



North America. Widely culti- 

 vated in northern United States, 

 British Columbia, especially in the 

 northern and eastern sections, and 

 along the Pacific Coast. 



General. This species is native to 

 eastern temperate Europe, and 

 western Asia, although the wild 

 form has not been found. According 

 to some authors, cultivated oats 

 originated from wild oats (Avena 

 fatua). This is very doubtful. 



Fig. 132. Avena sativa— showing panicle. 



2. AVENA FATUA. 



Avena fatua L. Sp. PI. 80. 1753. Watson and Coulter. Gray. Man. Bot. 

 653. 1890. (6 ed.) Nash in Britton and Brown. 111. PI. 1: 173. /. Jqj. 1896. 

 Scribner. Bull. U. S. Dept. Agrl. Div. Agros. 17: 203./. 4QQ. 1899. 



Avena barbata 3rot. Beal. Grasses of N. A. 2: 383. 1896. 



