Avena sterilis L.
A solitary, green or glaucous annual, with erect or ascending, generally hairless stems from 30 to 150 cm tall. Leaf blade 5 to 60 cm long, 2 to 15 mm wide; hairless or slightly hairy. ligule 2 to 6 mm long, pointed or blunt. Inflorescence a lax panicle 5 to 30 cm long. Spikelets 20 to 45 mm long, with 2 to 4 florets; pendulous, on slender stalks, linear lanceolate, later gaping. Glumes 25 to 45 mm long, 9 to 11-veined, hairless, papery. Lemma 25 to 30 mm long, 2-toothed, densely hairy on lower half; dorsal awns 5.5 to 9.5 cm long; bent, dark brown and twisted on the lower half; arising from below the middle of the lemma.
Local: Fairly common and widespread throughout Gibraltar, excluding built-up areas.
Global: Found throughout most of Europe, west and south east Asia, north Africa, and introduced in Australia and South America.
Flowers from (February) March, April, May to June (July).
Grows on open ground, meadows, cultivated, fallow and waste ground, waysides.