Practical
Plants

Sporobolus flexuosus

Mesa Dropseed

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

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Gramineae
Life cycle
perennial
Fertility
Wind
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Edible uses

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

Seed - raw or cooked[6]. It can be ground into a flour and used as a gruel or can be mixed with cereal flours when making bread, biscuits etc[7][8][1][2]. The grain falls free from the chaff when it is fully ripe[4]. The seed is very small and fiddly to utilize[K]. A famine food, it is normally only used when other foods are in short supply[6].

Plant part
Seed

Environment

Range
South-western N. America - Texas to Utah, Nevada, California and Mexico.
Habitat
Deserts below 1200 metres in California[9].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerances
drought
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
tolerant

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 2 weeks. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer if they have grown sufficiently. Otherwise, grow them on in a greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out in late spring of the following year. 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.

We have very little 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. Succeeds in any well drained soil in a sunny position[3].

References

  1. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

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

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

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  4. Whiting. A. F. Ethnobotany of the Hopi North Arizona Society of Science and Art 1939-00-00

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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

    ↩1↩2

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

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

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

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