Practical
Plants

Secale strictum

Mountain Rye

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

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Gramineae
Genus
Secale
Life cycle
perennial
Height
1.2 m
Spread
0.3 m
Fertility
Wind
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Edible uses

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

Seed - used as a whole grain or ground into a flour and used for making bread etc[4][2][3]. Somewhat smaller than the seed of S. cereale but produced abundantly. It is relatively difficult to extract the seed from the glumes by hand[K].

Plant part
Seed

Environment

Range
Europe - Mediterranean to northern Africa and western Asia.
Habitat
Dry stony or rocky mountain sides.
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 3+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerances
high wind, drought
Wind
Yes
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
tolerant

Propagation

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

Seed - sow March or October in situ and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. If the seed is in short supply, it can be grown in pots in the greenhouse or cold frame in early spring. Only just cover the seed. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant them out in late spring or early summer. Division in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer.

Cultivation

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

Succeeds in most soils but prefers a well-drained light soil in a sunny position[1]. One report says that it requires protection from severe frosts[1], though our experience is that it is hardy in most parts of the country[K]. Mountain rye is occasionally cultivated for its edible seed[7], it is possibly a parent of the cultivated Rye, S. cereale[6]. This species has an excellent potential as a perennial cereal crop in temperate zones. Although the seed is somewhat smaller than the cultivated annual rye, it is produced abundantly, especially from the second year onwards. The plant tillers well, especially in its second and subsequent years, and the ears in selected varieties can be 25cm long[K]. Not all forms of this species are perennial, the subspecies S. strictum kuprijanovii. Gross. is reliably so[4].

References

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

  5. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

  6. Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.

    ↩

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

    ↩

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