Avena

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Avena (oat; family Gramineae) A genus of grasses that are cultivated for their grain, from which such foods as oatcakes and porridge are made. A. sativa, the cultivated species, is closely related to, and may be descended from, Avena fatua (wild oat) which is now a serious weed of cereal crops (see HERBICIDE). There are about 25 species, native to the Old World and cultivated in temperate regions throughout the world.