oats

oats [Sp].
A group of cereals domesticated in the Near East during the 5th or 6th millennia bc. Most domesticated oats are hexaploid types with six sets of chromosomes derived from the wild red oats (Avena sterilis) found around the Mediterranean. The main cultivated varieties include the common oats (Avena sativa) found in cool climates; the cultivated red oats (Avena byzantina) found in warmer climates; and the large-seeded naked oats (Avena nuda) found mainly in southwest Asia. Other wild hexaploid species include the common wild oats (Avena fatua) and the winter wild oat (Avena ludoviciana). The use of oats was not widely adopted in northern Europe until the Iron Age.