Hordeum jubatum
| Hordeum jubatum | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Hordeum jubatum (common name: foxtail barley)
Propagation: Seed - sow in situ in March or October and only just cover the seed. Make sure the soil surface does not dry out if the weather is dry. Germination takes place within 2 weeks.
Division in spring. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.
Cultivation: Prefers a rather dry soil[1] and a sunny position[2]. Succeeds in most soils and in climates ranging from sub-arctic to sub-tropical[3]. Easily grown in light soils[4]. Established plants are drought resistant[5].
A very short-lived plant, it is often only an annual[4], though it often self sows a little[5].
Range: Most areas of N. America to Siberia. An occasional casual in Britain.
Habitat: Grassy bushy places below 2500 metres in California.
Edibility: Seed - raw or cooked[6][7][8][9]. The seed can be ground into a flour and used as a cereal in making bread, porridge etc[10][11]. Native North Americans would eat the dry flour raw[9]. The seed is exceedingly small and fiddly to use[K].
The roasted seed is used as a coffee substitute[11].
Medicinal: The dry root can be wrapped, then moistened and used as a compress for styes in the eyes or on swollen eyelids[9].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The barbed awns around the seeds can work their way into the gums and digestive tract of animals when the seed is eaten, causing irritation and inflammation[12]. They can also work their way into the ears and eyes, sometimes causing blindness and even de
Links
References
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Grounds, Roger. Ornamental Grasses. Christopher Helm, 1989.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Chatto, Beth. The Damp Garden. Dent, 1982.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Davis, Ray and Frank Craighead. A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers. The Riverside Press, 1963.