Aegilops speltoides
| Aegilops speltoides | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Aegilops speltoides
Propagation: Seed - sow March/April in situ and only just cover the seed. Make sure the soil does not dry out before the plants germinate. Seed can also be sown early March in a greenhouse and planted out in May.
Cultivation: No records of cultivation details have been seen, the plant grows well at Kew on an acid gravelly soil and also in Cornwall on a slightly acid loam[K]. It is probably best grown in a sunny position but tolerates light shade[K].
This species is believed to have hybridized with primitive forms of Triticum spp (Wheat) to produce some of the more modern Triticum spp. It could therefore be of value in breeding programmes.
Range: N. Africa, W. Asia.
Habitat: Dry acid grassland[1], oak scrub, plains, rocky limestone hills, fallow fields and edges of cornfields, 100 - 1200 metres in Turkey[2].
Edibility: Seed - cooked. Small and very fiddly to harvest and clean[K]. An emergency food, it is normally used as a cereal substitute for making bread etc[3].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Davis, Peter. Flora of Turkey. Edinburgh University Press, 1965.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.