Triticum turgidum
| Triticum turgidum | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 5' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Mid Summer |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Triticum turgidum (common name: rivet 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.
One of the more primitive forms of wheat, it was probably developed in cultivation from T. dicoccoides about 10,000 years ago. It is still occasionally cultivated for its edible seed, there are some named varieties[1][2][3]. It is not very high yielding[2].
A tetraploid species[4], it is not much grown outside Britain[3].
Range: Middle East? Original habitat is obscure.
Habitat: Developed through cultivation, it is not known in a truly wild location.
Edibility: Seed - cooked[5][6][1]. It is usually ground into a flour and used as a cereal for making macaroni, spaghetti, vermicelli etc[7].
Usage: The straw has many uses, as a biomass for fuel etc, for thatching, as a mulch in the garden etc[8].
A fibre obtained from the stems is used for making paper[9]. 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[9].
The starch from the seed is used for laundering, sizing textiles etc[1][10]. 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.
Wind: Tolerates strong winds
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Schery. Robert. Plants for Man. Prentice Hall, 1972.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ Brouk, Bohuslav. Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press, 1975.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Nicholson, Barbara and Stephen Harrison. The Oxford Book of Food Plants. Oxford University Press, 1975.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Carruthers, S. Alternative Enterprises for Agriculture in the UK. Centre for Agricultural Strategy, Univ. of Reading, 1986.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Bell, Lilian. Plant Fibres for Papermaking. Liliaceae Press, 1988.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.