Oat
Family Gramineae (or Poaceae)
Avena sativa, oat (A. sativa 1), is a fast-growing European cereal that can be cultivated as far north as 70 degrees. Its height varies between 60-150 cm. It is easily distinguished from other cereals by the open spreading panicle, bearing large, pendulous spikelets (A. sativa 2).
Distribution
Oat is derived from the wild oat, Avena fatua, which has its centre of origin in the Mediterranean region and may have occurred as a weed amongst other cereals. Archaeological remains indicate that it was cultivated in Europe during the Iron Age.
Use
Oats are mainly used for feeding livestock, both in the green stage as a fodder and as ripened grain. The amount of oat used for human consumption is comparatively small, mainly as porridge and rolled oats. Oat contains more proteins than other grains, especially the amino acid lysine. Oat flour has anti-oxidant properties and is therefore mixed with other foodstuffs(e.g. peanut butter) to delay deterioration. The husks, removed during milling, have some value as a raw material for furfural, a fluid with many industrial uses.
Most of the oats are cultivated in the northern parts of the US and southern Canada, in southern Russia and in Europe (A. sativa 3), especially Scandinavia.