Practical
Plants

Eragrostis tef

Tef

an annual member of the Eragrostis genus in the family Gramineae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Gramineae
Life cycle
annual
Height
1 m
Fertility
Wind
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Edible uses

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

Seed - cooked. It is used as a cereal for making bread and as a fermented food[5][7][8][3]. 'Enjera' is a fermented pancake-like bread that is a made from this grain in Ethiopia where it is a staple food[3]. The bread is spongy, soft, thin and sour tasting[3]. The seed is very small but easy to harvest[K]. Protein content is around 13%.

Plant part
Seed

Environment

Range
N. Africa - Ethiopia. A casual in Britain.
Habitat
A casual on waste ground in Britain.
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 9+
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 early spring in a greenhouse, only just covering the seed. Germination is usually very quick and free. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant out after the last expected frosts. The seed can also be sown in situ in late April, but in cool summers this might not give a long enough growing season to ripen the crop[4].

Cultivation

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

Succeeds in any good loam or humus-rich soil in a sunny position[1]. Tef is cultivated for its seed in Ethiopia where it is a staple crop, there are many named varieties[5][3]. It is occasionally cultivated for its seed in Europe[6] but is more commonly grown as an ornamental[1]. Plants can mature in 4 months from seed in warm climates[2], the crop is more problematic in Britain due to the cooler summers[K]. Plants tend to lodge[2].

References

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

    ↩1↩2

  2. Natural Food Institute, Wonder Crops. 1987.

    ↩1↩2

  3. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

  7. Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.

    ↩

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

    ↩

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