Triticum aestivum spelta
| Triticum aestivum | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Mid Summer |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Triticum aestivum spelta (common name: spelt 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 succeeds in most well-drained soils in a sunny position. Succeeds in poor soils[1].
Spelt probably arose through cultivation around 8,000 years ago following a cross between T. dicoccum and Aegilops squarrosa. This cross contributed an extra protein gene to the seed, making a stronger flour that is more suitable for making bread. It is sometimes cultivated for its edible seed, especially in the hilly country of C. and N.W. Europe[2][3][4]. There are some named varieties[4]. It is becoming increasingly popular as a health-food crop, although it contains gluten it is said to be more nutritious than bread wheat and suitable for many people who are intolerant of the gluten in bread wheat
A hexaploid species[5].
Range: Original habitat is obscure.
Habitat: Developed through cultivation, it is not known in a truly wild location.
Edibility: Seed - cooked[3][6][7]. It is usually ground into a flour and used as a cereal for making bread, biscuits etc. Pasta made from this grain has a delicious nutty flavour[4]. The seed retains its glumes when threshed[8].
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[8][6]. 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
- ↑ Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ 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 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.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 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.