Avena abyssinica
Hochst.
Poaceae
Avena alba abyssinica (Hochst.) Á.Löve & D.Löve
Avena barbata abbreviata Hausskn.
Avena barbata pseudoabyssinica Tab.Morais
Avena sativa abyssinica (Hochst.) Körn.
Avena sativa braunii Körn.
Avena sativa hildebrandtii Körn.
Avena sativa schimperi Körn.
Avena strigosa abyssinica (Hochst.) Hausskn.
Avena strigosa abyssinica (Hochst.) Thell.
Avena strigosa glaberrima (Chiov.) Thell.
Avena strigosa pseudoabyssinica Thell.
Avena strigosa subglaberrima Malzev
Avena vaviloviana pseudoabyssinica C.E.Hubb.
Avena wiestii pseudoabyssinica Thell.
Common Name: Abyssinian Oat
General Information
Abyssinian oat is an erect, annual grass growing up to 1.5 metres tall[
299- Title
- Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.prota.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
The plant provides an edible seed that is used locally. It is sometimes cultivated for this seed, especially in Ethiopia, and is also tolerated as a weed in barley and wheat crops[
299- Title
- Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.prota.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
Range
Tropical northeast Africa - Ethiopia; Arabian Peninsula - Yemen.
Habitat
A weed of arable land, especially in wheat and barley fields, found at elevations of 1,700 - 3,000 metres[
299- Title
- Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.prota.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
Properties
Edibility Rating | |
Other Uses Rating | |
Habit | Annual |
Height | 1.00 m |
Cultivation Status | Cultivated, Semi-cultivated, Wild |
Cultivation Details
A plant of higher elevations in the drier tropics, where it is found at elevations of 1,700 - 3,000 metres.
Requires a sunny position. Succeeds in any moderately fertile soil in full sun[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. Tolerates a pH in the range 5.3 to 7.6.
A triploid species[
57- Title
- Plants for Man.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Schery. R. W.
- Publisher
-
- Year
-
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Fairly readable but not very comprehensive. Deals with plants from around the world.
].
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.
Edible Uses
Seed - cooked[
57- Title
- Plants for Man.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Schery. R. W.
- Publisher
-
- Year
-
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Fairly readable but not very comprehensive. Deals with plants from around the world.
,
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- 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.
,
299- Title
- Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.prota.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
]. It can be roasted and eaten as a snack[
299- Title
- Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.prota.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
,
301- Title
- Cornucopia II
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications, California.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-2-5
- Description
- The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
]. It is also mixed with barley seeds to make a pancake-like bread known as 'Injera'; a local beer, known as 'tella'; and other products[
299- Title
- Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.prota.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
,
301- Title
- Cornucopia II
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications, California.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-2-5
- Description
- The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
].
The seed 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.
The seed, when harvested and dried, can store for several years.
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
The straw has a wide range of uses such as for bio-mass, fibre, mulch, paper-making and thatching[
171- Title
- Economic Botany.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Hill. A. F.
- Publisher
- The Maple Press
- Year
- 1952
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some detail about the plants it does cover.
]. Some caution is advised in its use as a mulch since oat straw can infest strawberries with stem and bulb eelworm.
This species is of potential value in breeding programmes for the cultivated oats (Avena sativa), in particular it could pass on pest resistance and drought tolerance.
Propagation
Seed - sow in situ
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.