Aegilops speltoides
an annual member of the Aegilops genus in the family Gramineae.
Taxonomy and growth
Uses
Edible uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Seed - cooked. Small and very fiddly to harvest and clean[K]. An emergency food, it is normally used as a cereal substitute for making bread etc[1].
- Plant part
- Seed
Environment
- Range
- N. Africa, W. Asia.
- Habitat
- Dry acid grassland[2], oak scrub, plains, rocky limestone hills, fallow fields and edges of cornfields, 100 - 1200 metres in Turkey[3].
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- light shade
- Water
- moderate
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline
- Drainage
- well drained
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Seed - sow March/April in situ and only just cover the seed. Make sure the soil does not dry out before the plants germinate. Seed can also be sown early March in a greenhouse and planted out in May.
Cultivation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
No records of cultivation details have been seen, the plant grows well at Kew on an acid gravelly soil and also in Cornwall on a slightly acid loam[K]. It is probably best grown in a sunny position but tolerates light shade[K]. This species is believed to have hybridized with primitive forms of Triticum spp (Wheat) to produce some of the more modern Triticum spp. It could therefore be of value in breeding programmes.
References
Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Davis. P. H. Flora of Turkey. Edinburgh University Press 1965-00-00