Leymus triticoides
| Leymus triticoides | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 4' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Leymus triticoides (common name: squaw grass)
Propagation: Seed - sow mid spring in situ and only just cover the seed[1]. Germination should take place within 2 weeks.
If the supply of seed is limited, it can also be sown in mid spring in a cold frame. Only just cover the seed. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in summer[K]
Division in spring or summer[1]. 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: We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in most parts of this country. The plant has extensively creeping rhizomes and often forms large clumps in the wild[2]. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Succeeds in most soils, preferring a sandy soil and a sunny position[3][1].
Range: Western N. America - Washington to California and east to Montana.
Habitat: Dry to moist river flats, saline meadows and sand dunes[4].
Edibility: Seed - cooked[5][6][7][8][9]. Used as a piñole[10]. The seed can be ground into a flour and used to make bread, cakes, porridge or as a cereal[11][12]. The seed is rather small and fiddly to harvest. The hairs on the seed must be removed before consumption. The N. American Indians would singe the seed in order to remove these hairs[11].
Usage: The leaves are used in basket making and for making mats, rope, paper etc[13][12].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Wind: Tolerates maritime wind exposure
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Grounds, Roger. Ornamental Grasses. Christopher Helm, 1989.
- ↑ Hitchcock, Albert. Manual of the Grasses of the United States. Dover Publications, 1971.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Hitchcock, Leo. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, 1955.
- ↑ Douglas, James. Alternative Foods.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Saunders, Charles. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1976.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Turner, Nancy. Plants in British Columbian Indian Technology. British Columbia Provincial Museum, 1979.