Triglochin maritima
| Triglochin maritima | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 6.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Triglochin maritima (common name: sea arrow grass)
Propagation: Seed - we have no information for this species but suggest sowing the seed in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe if this is possible. Stand the pots in about 2cm of water. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
Division in spring[1]. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring.
Cultivation: Succeeds in shallow water or a bog garden[1]. Possibly requires saline conditions[K].
Range: Europe, including Britain, from the Arctic south and east to N. Africa, W. and N. Asia. N. America.
Habitat: Salt marshes and grassy places near the sea[2][3].
Edibility: The white base of the leaf stem can be eaten raw or cooked[4][5][6][7]. Best harvested in late spring, the white base has a pleasant mild sweet taste, somewhat like cucumber[8]. An unpleasant odour is produced whilst the plant is being cooked[9]. The green parts of the plant should not be eaten since they can contain a toxin[10]. Only the bases of leaf stems should be used, and not the bases of flowering stems[8]. See notes at top of the page.
Seed - parched and ground into a powder[6][11][12][10][13].
The roasted seed is a coffee substitute[12][10][14].
Usage: The ashes of the plant are rich in potassium and can be used in making soap[9].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Wind: Tolerates strong winds
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The green leaves of plants can contain a toxic cyanogenic glycoside, it is especially present during and just after a drought and is particularly toxic to ruminants[15][6]. Plants growing in Britain are usually perfectly safe, this is probably due to the
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References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Harrington, Harold. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press, 1967.
- ↑ Heywood, Vernon. Flowering Plants of the World. Oxford University Press.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Turner, Nancy. Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples. UBC Press Vancouver, 1995.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Komarov, Vladimir. Flora of the USSR. Gantner Verlag, 1968.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Davis, Ray and Frank Craighead. A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers. The Riverside Press, 1963.
- ↑ Cooper, Marion. Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. The Stationery Office, 1984.