Practical
Plants

Deschampsia caespitosa

Tussock Grass

a perennial evergreen member of the Deschampsia genus in the family Gramineae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Gramineae
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
evergreen
Height
1 m
Spread
0.5 m
Fertility
Wind
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed[2][3][7][9]. No further details are given, though it is likely that the seed was ground into a flour and used as a cereal. However, the seed is quite small and its use would be rather fiddly[K].

Plant part
Seed

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Plants form impenetrably dense clumps and when planted close together in drifts make an excellent ground cover[8].

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Soil surface

Ground cover

Environment

Range
Temperate areas of Europe, including Britain, Asia, N. Africa, N. America and Australasia.
Habitat
Damp woods and meadows, usually on badly drained clay soils[5].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
high
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay, heavy clay
Soil pH
very acid, acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow in situ in spring or autumn[4][6][8]. Only just cover the seed[6]. Germination usually takes place within 2 - 3 weeks at 13°c[6]. If seed is in short supply it can be sown in a cold frame in spring, pricked out into individual pots as soon as it is large enough to handle and planted out in early summer.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Prefers a humus-rich acidic soil[8] but it succeeds in most soils[1]. It prefers a soil on the heavier and wetter side[1], but it also grows in drier soils[4]. Does well on damp or wet banks or in open woodland[1][4]. There are several named varieties, selected for their ornamental value[8].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

  4. Grounds. R. Ornamental Grasses. Christopher Helm 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-7470-1219-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

  5. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

    ↩

  6. Bird. R. (Editor) Focus on Plants. Volume 5. (formerly 'Growing from seed') Thompson and Morgan. 1991-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  7. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

  8. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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

    ↩

Edit this page