Triticum monococcum
| Triticum monococcum | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Mid Summer |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Triticum monococcum (common name: einkorn)
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.
A low yielding species[1], but it succeeds in poor rocky soils[1][2] and thrives in a short growing season[3].
This is supposedly the oldest species of wheat, it probably arose over 10,000 years ago and is still occasionally cultivated for its edible seed in the mountains of Germany, Switzerland and Italy[4][5][6].
A diploid species[7].
Range: Original habitat is obscure.
Habitat: Developed through cultivation, it is not known in a truly wild location.
Edibility: Seed - cooked[8][4][1][5]. It is usually ground into a flour and used as a cereal[6]. It is not very suitable for bread making[9] (this probably means that it is low in gluten). Retains its glumes when threshed making utilization of the seed more difficult[9][10].
Usage: The straw has many uses, as a biomass for fuel etc, for thatching, as a mulch in the garden etc[11].
A fibre obtained from the stems is used for making paper[12]. 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[12].
The starch from the seed is used for laundering, sizing textiles etc[8][5]. 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 Schery. Robert. Plants for Man. Prentice Hall, 1972.
- ↑ Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ Natural Food Institute. Wonder Crops 1987.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Tutin, Tom et al.. Flora Europaea. Cambridge University Press, 1964.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Brouk, Bohuslav. Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press, 1975.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Komarov, Vladimir. Flora of the USSR. Gantner Verlag, 1968.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Carruthers, S. Alternative Enterprises for Agriculture in the UK. Centre for Agricultural Strategy, Univ. of Reading, 1986.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Bell, Lilian. Plant Fibres for Papermaking. Liliaceae Press, 1988.