Practical
Plants

Panicum sonorum

Sauwi

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

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Gramineae
Genus
Panicum
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 or ground into a powder and used as a flour for making tortillas etc[3][6]. The seed has a pleasant mild flavour and can be used like millet[2].

Plant part
Seed

Environment

Range
Southern N. America - Northern Mexico.
Habitat
Poor land[2].
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].

Cultivation

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

We have almost no information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain. It is cultivated on a small scale in south-western N. America for its edible seed, there is at least one named variety[3]. The plant has a long growing season and may not produce a crop on tough soils[2]. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Prefers a moderately fertile well-drained soil in full sun[4]. Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1].

References

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

    ↩

  2. Natural Food Institute, Wonder Crops. 1987.

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

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

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

    ↩

Edit this page