Panicum obtusum
| Panicum obtusum | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Late Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Panicum obtusum (common name: vine mesquite)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within a week. Prick out the seedlings into trays or individual pots and plant them out after the last expected frosts[1][K].
Division in spring. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer.
Cultivation: Prefers a moderately fertile well-drained soil in full sun[1]. Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[2].
The plant can produce stolons more than 2 metres long[3] and so has the potential to spread considerably[K].
Range: Central and southern N. America - Missouri to Arizona and Mexico.
Habitat: Damp flats, shores and waste places[4]. Usually found in dry soils according to another report[5]. Sandy or gravelly soils, mainly along the banks of rivers and irrigation ditches[3].
Edibility: Seed - cooked as a whole grain or ground into a powder and used as a flour with cornmeal[6][7][8][9]. The seed is rather small and fiddly to utilize, though it has a pleasant, mild flavour and can e used as a staple food[K].
Usage: An infusion of the leaves is said to be a good wash for making the hair grow more quickly[10].
The dried and powdered stolons can be mixed with soapweed (Yucca species) and used as a tonic hair shampoo[10].
This species is occasionally planted for erosion control[11].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: Brachiaria obtusa.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hitchcock, Albert. Manual of the Grasses of the United States. Dover Publications, 1971.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ Britton, Nathaniel and Addison Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1970.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Diggs, George and Barney Lipscomb. Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas. Botanical Research Institute, 1999.