Wild oat grain is usually darker, may retain its awn and is hairy at the base of the husk. The husk of cultivated oats is hairless. An easy way to identify all oats from other cereals is to observe the twist of their leaves. When viewed from above, the oat leaf has an anti-clockwise curl.

What are characteristics of oats?

They are a tiller plant and can be prostrate, semi-prostrate or upright in growth. Plant Characteristics: Oats do not have an auricle. It has a greatly shortened stem with leaves giving a rosette type of plant.

How can you tell the difference between oats and wheat?

Oats have an open seed head. Wheat is produced with a compact seed head as compared to oat. Eminent parts of the grain include germ, bran, and endosperm. Eminent parts of the grain include germ, scutellum, aleuronic layer, germ pericarp, bran, and endosperm.