Oats and Oat-like Grasses

Wild Oat Greater Quaking-grass Wild Oat Lesser Quaking-grass



Grasses - Poaceae

Small Melick      Melica minuta

Native throughout the Mediterranean Region. A small, delicate grass, often favouring ledges on rocky outcrops.

Small Melick Small Melick Small Melick
Habit
Flower spikes
Flower spikes
Small Melick Small Melick Small Melick
Spikelets
Spikelets
Spikelet


Ciliate Melick      Melica ciliata

Native from Macaronesia throughout the Mediterranean Region, north into southern Scandinavia and east to Central Asia.

Ciliate Melick Ciliate Melick Ciliate Melick Ciliate Melick
Habit
Habit
Flower spikes
Spikelets
Ciliate Melick Ciliate Melick Ciliate Melick
Late spikes
Late spikes
Late spikelets


Slender Oat      Avena barbata

Native from the Mediterranean Region eastwards through the Middle East to the Himalayan Region.

Slender Oat Slender Oat Slender Oat Slender Oat
Early spikelets
Early spikelets
With glumes removed
Leaf ligule
Slender Oat Slender Oat Slender Oat Slender Oat
Late spike
Late spike
Late spikelet
Late spikelet


Wild Oat      Avena fatua

Native throughout most of Eurasia, though original distribution obscured by early cultivation. Plants 30-150cm in height, loosely tussock-forming or stems solitary. Leaf blades 3-15mm wide, flat, rather rough and pointed. Leaf sheaths rounded, the lower ones often hairy. Ligule membranous, up to 6mm in length, rounded at the tip. Flower spike very open, with long side branches. Spikelets 18-30mm with 2-3 florets. Lemmas 14-20mm with a 2.5-4mm, bent and twisted awn arising from or near the middle of the back. Seedheads break up readily, with each seed bearing a rounded callus at the base, where it was attached to the stem. A graceful grass, with the largest of grass flowers, making them useful for study when learning the flower parts of grasses.

Wild Oat Wild Oat Wild Oat Wild Oat
Habit
Flower spike
Early spikelets
Early spikelets
Wild Oat Wild Oat Wild Oat Wild Oat
Late spikelets
Rounded callus
Leaf blade
Leaf ligule


Greater Quaking-grass      Briza maxima

Native to Macaronesia and the Mediterranean Basin. Plants 10-60cm in height, single-stemmed or forming loose tufts. Leaf blades 3-8mm wide, green, hairless, finely pointed at the tip. Leaf sheaths rounded, smooth. Ligule membranous, 2-5mm in length. Flower spike typically arching to one side. Spikelets 14-25mm with 7-20 florets, forming elongated clusters. Glumes 5-7mm. Lemmas 6-8mm, rounded, deeply concave and strongly overlapping.

Greater Quaking-grass Greater Quaking-grass Greater Quaking-grass Greater Quaking-grass
Habit
Early flower spike
Flowering spike
Flowering spikelet
Greater Quaking-grass Greater Quaking-grass Greater Quaking-grass Greater Quaking-grass
Late spikelets
Late spikelet
Leaves
Leaf ligule


Lesser Quaking-grass      Briza minor

Native to Macaronesia and the Mediterranean Region, eastwards to Iran. Plants 10-60cm in height, single-stemmed or forming loose tufts. Leaf blades 3-14mm wide, green, hairless, finely pointed at the tip. Leaf sheaths rounded, smooth. Ligule membranous, 3-6mm in length. Flower spike much branched. Spikelets 2.5-5mm with 4-8 florets, forming shortly triangular clusters. Glumes 2-3.5mm. Lemmas 6-8mm, rounded, deeply concave and strongly overlapping and not contrasting strongly with the lemmas (unlike other quaking-grasses).

Lesser Quaking-grass Lesser Quaking-grass Lesser Quaking-grass Lesser Quaking-grass
Early flower spike
Early spikelets
Early spikelets
Flowering spikelets
Lesser Quaking-grass Lesser Quaking-grass
Flowering spikelets
Leaf ligule