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Avena sativa
| Common name: |
Oats |
Family: |
Gramineae |
| Author: |
L. |
Botanical references: |
17 |
| Synonyms: |
|
| Known Hazards: |
None known |
| Range: |
N. Europe. A non-persistent relic of cultivation in Britain[17]. |
| Habitat: |
Dry wasteland, cultivated ground and meadows, especially on heavier soils[200]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
3 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 3 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| A. byzantina[B,G,P]
A. byzantina var. anopla[G]
A. diffusa var. segetalis[G]
A. diffusa var. volgensis[G]
A. fatua[]
A. fatua var. sativa[B,P]
A. hybrida[B,P]
A. orientalis[G]
A. sativa var. aristata[G]
A. sativa var. brunnea[G]
A. sativa var. cinerea[G]
A. sativa var. diffusa[G]
A. sativa var. eligulata[G]
A. sativa var. flava[G]
A. sativa var. grisea[G]
A. sativa var. inermis[G]
A. sativa var. ligulata[G]
A. sativa var. montana[G]
A. sativa var. mutica[G]
A. sativa var. nigra[G]
A. sativa var. obtusata[G]
A. sativa var. orientalis[B,G,P]
A. sativa var. pugnax[G]
A. sativa var. segetalis[G]
A. sativa var. tristis[G]
A. volgensis[G]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Avena [E], Common Oat [P,L], Cultivated Oat [L], Cultivated Oats [S], Dousar [E], Haver [D], Oat [B], Oatmeal [E], Oats [S,E,H], Yulaf [E], |
| Epithets: | From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets |
|
sativa = cultivated
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA Plants Database |
|
Order: Cyperales. Renamed to Poaceae -- Grass family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Britain(Wales)
Chile Iraq Spain Turkey Us
|
| Noxious, Invasive and Injurious Weeds | From USDA PLANTS database, Weeds Australia
, DEFRA Injurious Weeds | | Listed as noxious/invasive for: USA Invasive. |
Physical Characteristics
Annual growing to 0.9m by 0.1m . It is hardy to zone 2 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from June to July, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Wind.
The plant is self-fertile.
We rate it 3/5 for edibility and
3/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay and nutritionally poor soils.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid soil.
It cannot grow in the shade.
It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Cultivated Beds.Edible Uses
Coffee
Oil Seed.
Seed - cooked[2, 34, 46, 177]. 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. Used as a cereal, it is
probably best known as the breakfast cereal porridge but it can also be used
in many other ways. The seed can be sprouted and used in salads[183], the
grain can also be ground into a flour and used in making biscuits, sourdough
etc[183]. It is fairly low in gluten, and so is not really suitable for
making bread[269]. The seed is an especially good food for convalescents and
people with stomach problems[13]. Oat flour produced in the dry-milling
operation currently is used as an antioxidant in food products[269]. Oat
flour inhibits rancidity and increases the length of shelf-stability of fatty
foods such as vegetable oils[269]. Whilst cultivated oats average about 17%
protein, scientists screening thousands of samples of cultivated and wild
species found that the wild species averaged 27% with some forms ranging up
to 37%[269].
Oats are also one of the cereals used as a basic ingredient for making
whisky[7].
Oats are harvested when grain is in the hard dough stage and straw is
slightly green (when the moisture content of the grain is 14% or less). If
too ripe, shattering causes seed loss. Crop is usually cut with binder and
left in the field until dry and then threshed. In mechanized societies, oats
are combined directly from standing grain. For this type of harvesting, crop
must be fully ripe, usually when the straw has lost greenness and glumes have
become white. Crop may be combined from windrow, or cut with a header
harvester when the crop is dead ripe. Seeds are threshed and cleaned by
winnowing, and artificially dried to below 14% moisture for storage[269].
The roasted seed is a coffee substitute[177, 183].
An edible oil is obtained from the seed, it is used in the manufacture of
breakfast cereals[61].
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Anticholesterolemic
Antispasmodic Cancer Cardiac Diuretic Emollient Nervine Nutritive Poultice Stimulant.
Whilst used mainly as a food, oat grain does also have medicinal
properties[238]. In particular oats are a nutritious food that gently
restores vigour after debilitating illnesses, helps lower cholesterol levels
in the blood and also increases stamina[254].
The seed is a mealy nutritive herb that is antispasmodic, cardiac, diuretic,
emollient, nervine and stimulant[4, 7, 21, 165]. The seed contains the
antitumor compound b-sitosterol and has been used as a folk remedy for
tumours[269]. A gruel made from the ground seed is used as a mild nutritious
aliment in inflammatory cases, fevers and after parturition[4]. It should be
avoided in cases of dyspepsia accompanied with acidity of the stomach[4]. A
tincture of the ground seed in alcohol is useful as a nervine and uterine
tonic[4]. A decoction strained into a bath will help to soothe itchiness and
eczema[254].
A poultice made from the ground seeds is used in the treatment of eczema and
dry skin[238].
When consumed regularly, oat germ reduces blood cholesterol levels[238].
Oat straw and the grain are prescribed to treat general debility and a wide
range of nervous conditions[254. They are mildly antidepressant, gently
raising energy levels and supporting an over-stressed nervous system[254].
They are of particular value in helping a person to cope with the exhaustion
that results from multiple sclerosis, chronic neurological pain and
insomnia[254]. Oats are thought to stimulate sufficient nervous energy to
help relieve insomnia[254].
An alcoholic extraction of oats has been reported to be a deterrent for
smoking, though reports that oat extract helped correct the tobacco habit
have been disproven[269].
A tincture of the plant has been used as a nerve stimulant and to treat
opium addiction.
In an article riddled with errors, the Globe (February 28, 1984) reports
that oat straw, usually taken as a tea, is a sexual nerve tonic[269]. We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.
Other Uses
Biomass
Cosmetic Fibre Mulch Paper Repellent Thatching.
The straw has a wide range of uses such as for bio-mass, fibre, mulch,
paper-making, building board and thatching[74, 141, 171]. It has also been
used as a stuffing material for mattresses and these are said to be of great
benefit for sufferers from rheumatism[7, 254]. Some caution is advised in its
use as a mulch since oat straw can infest strawberries with stem and bulb
eelworm.
Oat hulls are basic in production of furfural, a chemical intermediate in
the production of many industrial products such as nylon, lubricating oils,
butadiene, phenolic resin glues, and rubber tread compositions[269]. Oats
hulls supply about 22% of the required furfural raw materials. Rice hulls,
corn cobs, bagasse, and beech woods make up much of the remainder[269].
Oats hulls are also used in the manufacture of construction boards,
cellulose pulp and as a filter in breweries[269].
A handful of the grains, thrown into the bath water, will help to keep the
skin soft because of their emollient action[7].
An extract of oat straw prevents feeding by the striped cucumber
beetle[269].
Cultivation details
Oats are an easily grown crop that succeeds in any moderately fertile
soil in full sun[200]. They prefer a poor dry soil[134] and tolerate cool
moist conditions[13]. Plants are reported to tolerate an annual precipitation
of 20 to 180cm, an average annual temperature range of 5 to 26° C, and a pH of
4.5 to 8.6[269]. They thrive on a wide range of soils of ample, but not
excessive, fertility[269]. Well-drained neutral soils in regions where annual
rainfall is 77cm or more are best[269]. Loam soils are best, especially silt
and clay loams[269]. The plants are also reported to tolerate aluminium,
disease, frost, fungus, herbicides, hydrogen fluoride, mycobacterium,
nematode, rust, SO2, smut, and virus[269].
Oats have a long history of cultivation as a food crop and are believed to
be derived chiefly from two species, wild oat (A. fatua L.) and wild red oat
(A. sterilis L.)[269]. They are widely cultivated for their seed, used as a
source of protein, as well as for hay, as winter cover, and are used as a
pasture crop in the growing or 'milk' stage[269].
Oats are long-day plants, grown in cool climates in the Old and New World
temperate zones, succeeding under variable conditions[269]. Oats usually are
not very winter hardy, although winter hardy cvs have been developed[269]. A
very hardy plant according to another report, the cultivated oat succeeds as
far north as latitude 70° n[142] and is widely cultivated in temperate zones
for its edible seed, there are many named varieties[183].
Although lower yielding than wheat (Triticum spp.), it is able to withstand
a wider range of climatic conditions and is therefore more cultivated in
cooler and wetter areas[13]. Hot dry weather just before heading causes heads
to blast and yields of seed to decrease[269].
Self-pollination is normal, but cross-pollination by wind also occurs[269].
If you wish to save the seed for sowing, each variety should be isolated
about 180 metres away from other varieties[269].
Oats grow well with vetch but they inhibit the growth of apricot trees[18,
201].
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.
Propagation
Seed - sow in situ in early spring or in the autumn. Only just cover
the seed. Germination should take place within 2 weeks.
Cultivars
- ''
- There are many named varieties of this cultivated cereal, with new forms being developed each year. At present there is not time to enter these in the database.
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [B] Data
(Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
- [S] Image
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [PHARM] Phytochemical Data
(common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
- [FAO] Data
(Description, Habitat, Location and Use) from the FAO's Grassland Index.
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [V] Images
from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A& M Bioinformatics Working Group.
- [HEC] Use, Folk Medicine, etc. from Handbook of Energy Crops by James Duke
References for avena sativa (a possible synonym).
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
[13] Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975 ISBN 0-600-33545-3
Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore.
[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
[18] Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979
Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.
[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
[34] Harrison. S. Wallis. M. Masefield. G. The Oxford Book of Food Plants. Oxford University Press 1975
Good drawings of some of the more common food plants from around the world. Not much information though.
[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
[74] Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968
An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers.
[134] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan. 1988
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. An interesting article on Ensete ventricosum.
[141] Carruthers. S. P. (Editor) Alternative Enterprises for Agriculture in the UK. Centre for Agricultural Strategy, Univ. of Reading 1986 ISBN 0704909820
Some suggested alternative commercial crops for Britain. Readable. Produced by a University study group.
[142] Brouk. B. Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press 1975 ISBN 0-12-136450-x
Readable but not very comprehensive.
[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
An excellent small herbal.
[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.
[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[201] Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993 ISBN 0-304-34324-2
A well produced and very readable book.
[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
[269] Duke. J. Handbook of Energy Crops - 1983
Published only on the Internet, excellent information on a wide range of plants.
Readers Comments
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