Relatives
Avena barbata Pott. - Slender oat.
Taxonomic position.
Family Poaceae Barnhart., genus Avena L.Synonyms.
Avena strigosa subsp. barbata (Pott ex Link) Thell.Biology and morphology.
Annual herb. Stems glabrous, (35)40-100 cm tall. Panicle diffuse, 6.0-25.0 cm long. Spikelets 2.0-3.0 cm long, 2 flowers per spikelet. Spikelet.s axis fragile, articulated under each flower in the spikelet. Glumes are equal to each other in size and have 9-10 ribs. Lemma is hairy (or, more rarely, glabrous) with two thin awns, 1.5-6.0 mm long, at the top and one thick, articulate awn at the back. Self-pollinated. Blossoms in April-May; seeds ripen June-July. 2n = 24, 28, 32.Distribution.
Crimea, Caucasus, Turkmenia.Ecology.
Occurs on stony slopes, in loams, in sands, in meadows, along riversides and as a ruderal plant in fields. Also occurs in plains and at the lower mountain level.Utilization and economic value.
Wild relative of cultivated Avena sativa L. Used in breeding programs (can be crossed successfully with Avena sativa to produce fertile hybrids resistant to all types of downy mildew).Literature cited:
Brezhnev D.D., Korovina O.N. 1980. Wild relatives of the cultivated plants of flora of the USSR. - L.: Kolos, 376 pp. (in Russian).Fedorov A.A., ed. 1974. Flora of the European part of the USSR. - L.: Nauka, Vol. 1. - 404 pp. (in Russian).
Grossheim A.A. 1939. Flora of Caucasus. - Baku: AzFAN,- Vol. 2. - pp. 587. (in Russian).
Nikitin V.V., Geldihanov A.M. 1988. Field Guide of Plants of Turkmenia. L.: Nauka, 680 p.
Rozhevitz P.U., Shishkin V.K., eds. 1937. Flora of the USSR. - M.-L.: AN USSR , Vol. 2. - 778 pp. (in Russian).
Shelyag-Sosonko Y.P., ed. 1977. Grasses of Ukraine. - Kiev: Naukova Dumka,- 518 pp. (in Russian).
Tzvelev N.N. 1976. Poaceae USSR. - L.: Nauka, 788 pp. (in Russian).