Elytrigia repens
| Elytrigia repens | |
| Light: |    |
| Moisture: |    |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Early Fall |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Elytrigia repens (common name: couch grass)
Propagation: This species is a pernicious weed and will not require assistance in spreading itself.
Cultivation: Couch grass can succeed in any soil, though it grows best in light sandy soils[1]. It is a rapidly spreading, persistent and pernicious weed that should only be introduced with great caution. It tolerates a pH in the range 4.2 to 8.3.
Some modern works have now separated this species off into a new genus as Elytrigia repens.
A food plant for the caterpillars of many butterfly and moth species.
This species can become a pernicious weed, spreading rapidly by underground rhizomes[2] and quickly forming a dense mat of roots in the soil that strangles other plant growth[K]. Even the smallest fragment of root is capable of regenerating into a new plant, thus making it exceedingly difficult to get rid of. A good thick mulch through which nothing can grow, can be applied to the area, though it will need to be left in place for at least two growing seasons to be fully effective[K]. Despite its antisocial tendency in the garden, couch is a very useful herbal medicine and Culpepper is said to have stated that half an acre of couch was worth five acres of carrots twice over[2].
Range: Most of Europe, including Britain, N. Africa, Siberia and N. America.
Habitat: A common weed of gardens, fields, hedgerows and meadows[3].
Edibility: Roots - cooked. They can be dried and ground into a powder, then used with wheat when making bread[4][5][6][7]. Although thin and stringy, the roots contain starch and enzymes and are quite sweet[8]. When boiled for a long time to break down the leathery membrane, a syrup can be made from the roots and this is sometimes brewed into a beer[9][8].
The roasted root is a coffee substitute[5].
Young leaves and shoots - eaten raw in spring salads[8]. A slightly sweet flavour, though quickly becoming very fibrous, they are rather less than wonderful[K]. The juice from these shoots is sometimes used as a spring tonic[7].
Seed[10]. A cereal mash can be made from them[8]. The seed is very small and there is a large husk surrounding it, so that effectively it is more like eating fibre than cereal[K].
Medicinal: Couch grass is of considerable value as a herbal medicine, the roots being very useful in the treatment of a wide range of kidney, liver and urinary disorders[2]. They have a gentle remedial effect which is well-tolerated by the body and has no side-effects[1]. This plant is also a favourite medicine of domestic cats and dogs, who will often eat quite large quantities of the leaves[2].
The roots are antiphlogistic, aperient, demulcent, diuretic, emollient, lithontripic and tonic[2][8]. They are harvested in the spring and can be dried for later use[2].
A tea made from the roots is used in cases of urinary incompetence and as a worm expellent[11]. It is also an effective treatment for urinary tract infections such as cystitis and urethritis[12]. It both protects the urinary tubules against infections and irritants, and increases the volume of urine thereby diluting it[12]. Externally it is applied as a wash to swollen limbs[11].
Usage: An infusion of the whole plant is a good liquid plant feed[13].
The plant has a long creeping root system and so it has been planted in sand dunes near the coast to bind the soil together[2].
A grey dye is obtained from the roots[14].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: Elymus repens.(L.)Gould.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Loewenfeld, Claire and Philippa Back. Britain's Wild Larder. David and Charles.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Phillips, Roger. Herbs. Pan Books, 1990.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ Hatfield, Audrey. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd, 1974.
- ↑ Coon, Nelson. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press, 1975.