Avena byzantina
| Avena byzantina | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Avena byzantina (common name: red oat)
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 hexaploid species, one report says that it is possibly a sub-species of A. sterilis, and is often cultivated for its edible seed in warmer temperate zones[1], whilst some modern works see it as no more than a synonym of A. sativa. This species succeeds in saline soils[2]. It tolerates a pH in the range 5.3 to 8.2. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Succeeds in any moderately fertile soil in full sun[3].
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 - Mediterranean.
Habitat: Dry wasteland, cultivated ground and meadows, especially on heavier soils[3]. Mainly found on dry or saline soils[2].
Edibility: Seed - cooked[1][4][5][6]. 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[5]. 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
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Schery. Robert. Plants for Man. Prentice Hall, 1972.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Tutin, Tom et al.. Flora Europaea. Cambridge University Press, 1964.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 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.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.