Avena brevis
| Avena brevis | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Avena brevis
Propagation: Seed - sow in situ in early spring or in the autumn. Only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within 2 weeks.
Cultivation: We have very little information on this species, but it should be possible to grow it as a spring-sown annual in Britain, and might also succeed as an autumn-sown crop. A diploid species, it is of little commercial importance[1] but is locally cultivated in sandy fields in Europe for its edible seed[2]. It is often used in mountainous regions because the seed ripens quickly[3]. A parent of the cultivated species of oats[4]. Closely related to A. sativa, differing mainly in its small spikelets and plumper lemmas[5]. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Succeeds in any moderately fertile soil in full sun[6].
Oats are in general easily grown plants but, especially when grown on a small scale, the seed is often completely eaten out by birds. Some sort of netting seems to be the best answer on a garden scale.
Range: Europe - Russia to Mediterranean.
Habitat: Dry wasteland, cultivated ground and meadows, especially on heavier soils[6].
Edibility: Seed - cooked[1][7][4]. The seed ripens in the latter half of summer and, when harvested and dried, can store for several years. It has a floury texture and a mild, somewhat creamy flavour. It can be used as a staple food crop in either savoury or sweet dishes. The seed can be cooked whole, though it is more commonly ground into a flour and used as a cereal in all the ways that oats are used, especially as a porridge but also to make biscuits, sourdough bread etc. The seed can also be sprouted and eaten raw or cooked in salads, stews etc.
The roasted seed is a coffee substitute.
Usage: The straw has a wide range of uses such as for bio-mass, fibre, mulch, paper-making and thatching[4]. Some caution is advised in its use as a mulch since oat straw can infest strawberries with stem and bulb eelworm.
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Schery. Robert. Plants for Man. Prentice Hall, 1972.
- ↑ Tutin, Tom et al.. Flora Europaea. Cambridge University Press, 1964.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ Hitchcock, Albert. Manual of the Grasses of the United States. Dover Publications, 1971.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.