Practical
Plants

Layia platyglossa

Coastal Tidytips

an annual member of the Layia genus in the family Compositae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Layia
Life cycle
annual
Growth rate
vigorous
Height
0.3 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Edible uses

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

Seed - cooked. It can be used as a piñole[2][3], or can be ground into a powder and used with other ground seeds in a mush or porridge[6]..

Plant part
Seed

Environment

Range
South-western N. America - California.
Habitat
Grassy flats by the coast, below 100 metres[7].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
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 a greenhouse. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant them out in early summer. Alternatively, if you have sufficient seed it is possible to sow in situ during April/May.

Cultivation

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

A fast-growing plant[4], it succeeds in ordinary garden soils[1] and also in poor soils[4]. It requires a very well-drained soil[4], preferring to grow on a dry sunny bank[5]. A frost tender annual, it does not thrive in areas with hot humid summers[5].

References

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

    ↩

  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. Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

  7. Munz. A California Flora. University of California Press 1959-00-00

    ↩

Edit this page