Triticum bicorne
| Triticum bicorne | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Triticum bicorne
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: Prefers a sunny position in a rich well-drained soil.
Range: N. Africa - Syria to Egypt.
Habitat: Developed through cultivation, it is not known in a truly wild location.
Edibility: Seed - cooked[1]. Usually ground and used as a flour. The grain adheres to the chaff, making it more difficult to separate[1].
Usage: The straw has many uses, as a biomass for fuel etc, for thatching, as a mulch in the garden etc[2].
A fibre obtained from the stems is used for making paper[3]. 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[3].
The starch from the seed is used for laundering, sizing textiles etc[4][5].
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 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Carruthers, S. Alternative Enterprises for Agriculture in the UK. Centre for Agricultural Strategy, Univ. of Reading, 1986.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bell, Lilian. Plant Fibres for Papermaking. Liliaceae Press, 1988.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.