Poa fendleriana
| Poa fendleriana | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Poa fendleriana (common name: mutton grass)
Propagation: Seed - surface sow in the spring in a cold frame. Do not allow the compost to dry out. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in the 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: 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 the country. The plant is dioecious, male and female plants will have to be grown if seed is required. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Succeeds in any well-drained moderately fertile soil in a sunny position[1].
Range: Western N. America - British Columbia to Manitoba, south to California, Texas and Mexico.
Habitat: Sagebrush desert to wooded areas at mid elevations on mountains and occasionally on dry ridges in the south of its range[2].
Edibility: Seed - cooked[3][4][5]. A mild flavour, the seed can be cooked in stews etc, or can be ground into a powder and used in making bread, porridges, dumplings or whatever[5][K]. A famine food, it is only used when all else fails[6]. The seed is rather small and fiddly to harvest[K].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Dioecious
Links
References
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Hitchcock, Leo. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, 1955.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.