Practical
Plants

Beckmannia eruciformis

Sloughgrass

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Gramineae
Life cycle
perennial
Height
1.5 m
Fertility
Wind
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Edible uses

Seed - cooked[3][5][7][1][2]. A mild flavour, it can be ground into a flour and used as a cereal. The seed is very small but is easily harvested[K]. It does then have to be separated from its husk, which is a very fiddly operation. Some N. American Indian tribes burn the husks of grass seeds[K].

Plant part
Seed

Material uses

The plant is used for making bedding and pillows[4].

Product or use
Bedding

Environment

Range
Southern and Eastern Europe to central Asia.
Habitat
Wet meadows, swamps, marshes and shallow water[6].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
aquatic
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline, very alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant
Salinity
tolerant

Propagation

Seed - surface sow in spring in pots in a cold frame. Do not let the soil dry out. Very quick germination[K]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer. If there is sufficient seed, it can be sown in situ in the spring. Division in spring. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted straight into their permanent positions whilst smaller clumps are best potted up and kept in a cold frame until they are growing away well.

Cultivation

Prefers a moist to wet soil, succeeding in shallow water[K]. Tolerates saline soils[8]. Tolerates a pH in the range 5.8 to 7.6. We have no specific information on the hardiness of this species, but we have grown it successfully outdoors in Cornwall and, judging by its range, it should be cold-hardy in most if not all of Britain[K].

References

  1. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

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  2. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

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  3. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

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  4. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

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  5. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

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  6. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

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  7. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

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  8. Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968-00-00

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