black oats
Avena strigosa · Poaceae
black oats (Avena strigosa) is a annual grass or grass-like plant in the Poaceae family. It is introduced to North America rather than native.
At a glance
| Type | graminoid USDA |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | annual USDA |
| Native status | introduced USDA |
| Mature height | 2 ft USDA |
| Light | full-sun USDA |
| Soil pH | 4.5–7.3 USDA |
| Guild layer | herb-layer Derived |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It needs full sun. Its drought tolerance is rated low. It is recorded on soils from pH 4.5 to 7.3 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 2 ft, making it about knee height.
Foliage, flower and season
Its flowers are not conspicuous — a plant for form and foliage. Its active growth period is spring and summer.
What the site needs to provide
It needs at least 120 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 12 inches.
Propagating it
Seed is the only propagation method USDA lists. Division and cuttings are not listed as options. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period.
Resilience and wildlife
Its fire tolerance is rated none. Its growth form is recorded as multiple stem.
Role in a guild
Herb layer. In a layered planting this is the herbaceous middle — perennials and grasses that fill the space between ground cover and shrubs. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Avena
- wild oat Avena fatua
- common oat Avena sativa
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol AVST2, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, fire tolerance, flower conspicuous, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Lifecycle, Light, Mature height, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, Type.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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