Practical
Plants

Panicum obtusum

Vine Mesquite

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

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Gramineae
Genus
Panicum
Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.75 m
Fertility
Wind
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Edible uses

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

Seed - cooked as a whole grain or ground into a powder and used as a flour with cornmeal[10][11][2][3]. The seed is rather small and fiddly to utilize, though it has a pleasant, mild flavour and can e used as a staple food[K].

Plant part
Seed

Material uses

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

An infusion of the leaves is said to be a good wash for making the hair grow more quickly[7]. The dried and powdered stolons can be mixed with soapweed (Yucca species) and used as a tonic hair shampoo[7]. This species is occasionally planted for erosion control[8].

Product or use
Hair care

Ecology and functions

Earth stabiliser

Environment

Range
Central and southern N. America - Missouri to Arizona and Mexico.
Habitat
Damp flats, shores and waste places[9]. Usually found in dry soils according to another report[5]. Sandy or gravelly soils, mainly along the banks of rivers and irrigation ditches[6].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
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 spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within a week. Prick out the seedlings into trays or individual pots and plant them out after the last expected frosts[200, K]. Division in spring. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer.

Cultivation

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

Prefers a moderately fertile well-drained soil in full sun[4]. Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1]. The plant can produce stolons more than 2 metres long[6] and so has the potential to spread considerably[K].

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

  5. Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5

    ↩

  6. Hitchcock. A. S. Manual of the Grasses of the United States Dover Publications. New York. 1971-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22717-0

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2

  8. Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas Botanical Research Institute, Texas. 1999-00-00 http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

Edit this page