Practical
Plants

Triticum aestivum spelta

Spelt Wheat

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

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Gramineae
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[9][10][1]. It is usually ground into a flour and used as a cereal for making bread, biscuits etc. Pasta made from this grain has a delicious nutty flavour[5]. The seed retains its glumes when threshed[7].

Plant part
Seed

Material uses

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

The straw has many uses, as a biomass for fuel etc, for thatching, as a mulch in the garden etc[2]. A fibre obtained from the stems is used for making paper[6]. The stems are harvested in late summer after the seed has been harvested, they are cut into usable pieces and soaked in clear water for 24 hours. They are then cooked for 2 hours in lye or soda ash and then beaten in a ball mill for 1½ hours in a ball mill. The fibres make a green-tan paper[6]. The starch from the seed is used for laundering, sizing textiles etc[7][10]. It can also be converted to alcohol for use as a fuel.

Product or use
Biomass
Product or use
Mulch
Product or use
Paper
Product or use
Starch
Product or use
Thatching

Environment

Range
Original habitat is obscure.
Habitat
Developed through cultivation, it is not known in a truly wild location.
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 early spring or autumn in situ and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within a few days[K].

Cultivation

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

An easily grown plant, it succeeds in most well-drained soils in a sunny position. Succeeds in poor soils[4]. Spelt probably arose through cultivation around 8,000 years ago following a cross between T. dicoccum and Aegilops squarrosa. This cross contributed an extra protein gene to the seed, making a stronger flour that is more suitable for making bread. It is sometimes cultivated for its edible seed, especially in the hilly country of C. and N.W. Europe[8][9][5]. There are some named varieties[5]. It is becoming increasingly popular as a health-food crop, although it contains gluten it is said to be more nutritious than bread wheat and suitable for many people who are intolerant of the gluten in bread wheat A hexaploid species[3].

References

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

    ↩

  2. Carruthers. S. P. (Editor) Alternative Enterprises for Agriculture in the UK. Centre for Agricultural Strategy, Univ. of Reading 1986-00-00 ISBN 0704909820

    ↩

  3. Brouk. B. Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-12-136450-x

    ↩

  4. Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952-00-00

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

  6. Bell. L. A. Plant Fibres for Papermaking. Liliaceae Press 1988-00-00

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

  9. Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2

Edit this page