Koeleria macrantha
| Koeleria macrantha | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 2 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Mid Summer |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Koeleria macrantha (common name: june grass)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in situ and only just cover the seed[1]. Germination should take place within three weeks.
Division in spring[1].
Cultivation: Succeeds in most soils in a sunny position[2][3]. Prefers a chalky soil[2]. Grows best in a soil that is not too fertile[3].
This is an aggregate species[4]. K. cristata is now divided into K. macrantha (which is also the name of the aggregate) and K. pyramidata (Lam.)Beauv. K. macrantha is native to Britain, K. pyramidata, which is found wild in meadows and wood margins, is native to much of mainland Europe[4].
Range: Northern temperate zone, including Britain, between latitudes 37° and 60° N.
Habitat: Sandy places, chalk and limestone pastures[5].
Edibility: Seed - cooked. It is ground into a powder and eaten like porridge or used as a flour for making bread etc[6][7][8][9].
Medicinal: The plant has been used in the treatment of cuts[9].
Usage: The leaf blades of the plant have been tied together and used as paintbrushes and brooms[9].
Bunches of the leaf blades, about 30cm long, have been tied with string or yucca fibre, and used as a scourer for cleaning pans etc[9].
The straw has been mixed with adobe to give strength and adhesion when building walls[9].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: K. cristata. K. gracilis. K. pyramidata. Aira cristata.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Grounds, Roger. Ornamental Grasses. Christopher Helm, 1989.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Tutin, Tom et al.. Flora Europaea. Cambridge University Press, 1964.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.