Triticum aestivum compactum
| Triticum aestivum | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Mid Summer |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Triticum aestivum compactum (common name: club wheat)
Propagation: Seed - sow early spring or autumn in situ and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within a few days[K].
Cultivation: An easily grown plant, it prefers a sunny position in a rich well-drained soil. Succeeds in poor soils[1].
One of the more modern species of wheat, probably developed around 8,000 years ago as a result of a cross between T. dicoccum and Aegilops squarrosa. It is still cultivated for its edible seed in S. Europe, S.W. Asia and also in S. America[2][3][4]. This is a low-growing species with strong stiff straw[1]. There is at least one named variety - 'Pima' is a beardless soft white wheat with an unusually compact head. It is excellent for flour tortillas[4].
A hexaploid species[5].
Range: The origin is uncertain.
Habitat: Not known in a truly wild situation[2].
Edibility: Seed - cooked[6][3][7]. It is usually ground into a flour and used as a cereal. Used in making bread, starchy breakfast foods, crackers etc[4], though the seed is low in gluten and so any bread will not rise that well[8][1].
Usage: The straw has many uses, as a biomass for fuel etc, for thatching, as a mulch in the garden etc[9].
A fibre obtained from the stems is used for making paper[10]. The stems are harvested in late summer after the seed has been harvested, they are cut into usable pieces and soaked in clear water for 24 hours. They are then cooked for 2 hours in lye or soda ash and then beaten in a ball mill for 1½ hours in a ball mill. The fibres make a green-tan paper[10].
The starch from the seed is used for laundering, sizing textiles etc[6][8]. It can also be converted to alcohol for use as a fuel.
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Tutin, Tom et al.. Flora Europaea. Cambridge University Press, 1964.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Schery. Robert. Plants for Man. Prentice Hall, 1972.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Brouk, Bohuslav. Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press, 1975.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Carruthers, S. Alternative Enterprises for Agriculture in the UK. Centre for Agricultural Strategy, Univ. of Reading, 1986.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Bell, Lilian. Plant Fibres for Papermaking. Liliaceae Press, 1988.