OATS 95 



87. Classification. The cultivated oats are derived 

 chiefly from the species Avena fatua, Linn, and A. sterilis, 

 Linn. For present purposes, the former will be considered 

 as roughly separable into three botanical subspecies, A. 

 sativa, Linn., A. orientalis, Schreber, and A. nuda, Linn., 

 having as common names (1) the spreading oats, '(2) the 

 side oats, and (3) the hulless oats, respectively. Accord- 

 ing to Trabut (1911) the species of red or Algerian oats 

 is removed from the original A. sterilis by several inter- 

 mediate forms. He has designated the former by the 

 name A. sterilis algeriensis. He also concludes that A. 

 strigosa, Schreber, sand oats, and A. brevis, Roth., short 

 oats, each containing but one poor variety, are derived 

 from A. barbata, Pott., a species adapted to dry climates. 

 A. abyssinica, including Abyssinian cultivated varieties, 

 is derived from A. Wiestii. The outline of the classifica- 

 tion which at present appears to be nearest correct is as 

 follows : 



{sativa, Linn., common or spreading oats, 

 orientalis, Schreber, side oats, 

 nuda, Linn., Hulless oats. 

 Avena { sterilis, Linn. algeriensis, Trab., red or Algerian oats. 



f strigosa, Schreber, rough or sand oats, 

 barbata, Pott. ( ^ Roth short Qats 



Wiestii, Steudel abyssinica, Hochst, Abyssinian oats. 



88. Common or spreading oats (Avena sativa, Linn.). 

 - By far the greatest number of cultivated varieties are 



included in this subspecies. The panicle is open and 

 spreading, which fact distinguishes the species from the 

 side oats (see Fig. 28), while the attachment of lemma and 

 palea to the caryopsis chiefly distinguishes it from the 

 hulless forms. For a very long time, this appears to have 

 been the only subspecies of cultivated oats known in 



