Practical
Plants

Glyceria fluitans

Floating Manna Grass

a perennial member of the Glyceria genus in the family Gramineae.

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Taxonomy and growth

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

Uses

Edible uses

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

Seed - raw or cooked[6][7][1]. A sweetish taste, the seed was considered a delicacy in some parts of Europe and was an article of commerce until well into the 20th century[4]. A flour from the seed is said to make a bread little inferior to wheat bread, the flour can also be used as a thickener in soups etc when it imparts a sweet delicate flavour[4]. Unfortunately, the seed is very small and therefore the plant is relatively unproductive[K].

Plant part
Seed

Material uses

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

The leaves have been burnt as an incense[5].

Product or use
Incense

Environment

Range
Europe, including Britain, temperate Asia the Caucasus and N. America.
Habitat
Shallow water, either stagnant or slow flowing, or in wet soils whether acid or calcareous[3].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
aquatic
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
very acid, acid, neutral, alkaline, very alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

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

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse in a pot standing in 3 - 5cm of water. Surface sow the seed, or only just cover it. Germination should take place within 3 weeks. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in early summer. If you have sufficient seed then it can be sown outdoors in situ in mid to late spring. Division in spring. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.

Cultivation

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

Succeeds in most soils, so long as they are wet, and in shallow water[2]. Dislikes shade. This plant is occasionally cultivated for its edible seed[2], it is not very large and is somewhat fiddly to harvest but is considered to be an epicure's food[4].

References

  1. Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969-00-00 ISBN 0192176218

    ↩

  2. Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain.

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩

  6. Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00

    ↩

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

    ↩

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