Practical
Plants

Panicum urvilleanum

Desert Panicgrass

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
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[2][3][6]. The seed has a mild flavour and can be used like millet[K].

Plant part
Seed

Environment

Range
South-western N. America - California and Arizona.
Habitat
Sandy places in deserts and creosote bush scrub in California[7].
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.

We have almost no information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain. 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

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  2. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

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  3. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

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

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  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

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

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