Poaceae

Wild oat

Avena fatua L.

Family: Poaceae
Genus: Avena

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Wild oat (Avena fatua) — FlowerPhoto: Thomas Mesaglio, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (23)

Afrikaans: Gewone wildehawer
Arabic: خافور, زمير, شوفان
Catalan: Cugula estèril, Cugules, Folle-avoine
Chinese: 乌麦, 燕麦草, 西方燕麦, 野燕麥, 野燕麦, 野麦子, 光轴野燕麦, 南燕麥
Czech: Oves hluchý
Dutch: Oot
English: Wild oat, Common wild oat
Esperanto: Freneza aveno
Estonian: Tuulekaer
Finnish: Hukkakaura
French: Folle-avoine, Folle avoine
Galician: Avea louca
German: Flug-Hafer, Flughafer, Folle-avoine
Lithuanian: Aviža netikšė, Folle-avoine
Norwegian Bokmål: Floghavre
os: Згъæллаг
pcd: Avin·ne éd boedé, Avin·nron, Avroul, Fole-avòn·ne, Iérpe`d ivron·nhe
Polish: Owies głuchy
Russian: Овсюг, Вивсюг, Овес пустой, Овсюг обыкновенный, Овёс дикий, Овёс пустой
Slovenian: Gluhi oves
Spanish: Avenas locas, Balluerca, Cugula, Cula, Luello, Vena, Vena brava, Vena bravia
Swedish: Ager, Flughagrä, Folle-avoine, Liotagär, Ljotagär, Vildhavre
Turkish: Yabani yulaf

Synonyms

Anelytrum avenaceum Hack.
Avena ambigua Schoenb.
Avena ambigua Schönh.
Avena cultiformis (Malzev) Malzev
Avena fatua f. deserticola Hausskn.
Avena fatua f. subcontracta Yamag.
Avena fatua subsp. brevipilosa Kiec
Avena fatua subsp. cultiformis Malzev
Avena fatua subsp. fatua
Avena fatua subsp. glabrata (Peterm.) Piper & Beattie
Avena fatua subsp. intermedia Nyman
Avena fatua subsp. meridionalis Malzev
Avena fatua subsp. meridionalis A.W.Hill
Avena fatua subsp. septentrionalis (Malzev) Malzev
Avena fatua subvar. naniformis Yamag.
Avena fatua subvar. pseudonana Yamag.
Avena fatua subvar. pumila Yamag.
Avena fatua subvar. zine Yamag.
Avena fatua var. acidophila Kiec
Avena fatua var. alcaliphila Kiec
Avena fatua var. alta Kiec
Avena fatua var. altissima Kiec
Avena fatua var. elongata Malzev
Avena fatua var. fatua
Avena fatua var. glabrata Peterm.
Avena fatua var. glabrata (Peterm.) Malzev
Avena fatua var. glabrata Stapf
Avena fatua var. glabrescens Coss. & Durieu
Avena fatua var. gravis Kiec
Avena fatua var. hubrida (Peterm.) Asch.
Avena fatua var. hyugaensis Yamag.
Avena fatua var. intermedia (T.Lestib.) Lej. & Courtois
Avena fatua var. leiocarpa Malzev
Avena fatua var. levis Kiec
Avena fatua var. longiflora Malzev
Avena fatua var. longispiculata Malzev
Avena fatua var. mollis Keng
Avena fatua var. nipponica Yamag.
Avena fatua var. pilosa Syme
Avena fatua var. pilosiformis Yamag.

and 28 more.

Flowers

In flower: March to July, October (from 69 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)
Flower colour: yellow (USDA PLANTS Database)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Graminoid
Lifespan: Annual
In the US and Canada: Alaska: introduced, Canada: introduced, Hawaii: introduced, Lower 48 states: introduced

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Thomas Mesaglio, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Dave Richardson, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Dave Richardson, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Daughter Dad, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Helge Oskarsen, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Dan Horowitz, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Philmarin, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: KAnatoliy, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: hadynrmurray, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Avena

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.