Achnatherum hymenoides - Indian Millet
Famille: Gramineae, Genre: Achnatherum
Vivace (0.6m de haut).
Habitat
- Exposition
- Plein soleil
- Vent
- Tolère les vents forts
- Humidité
- Humidité moyenne.
- Sol
- Tous sols. Nécessite un sol drainant.
- pH
- Sol acide ou calcaire
- Rusticité
- Zone 8
- Habitat originel
- Sandy prairies and rocky slopes[43].
- Origine géographique
- Western N. America - British Columbia to Manitoba, south to Texas, California and Mexico.
Comestibilité
- Seed - raw, cooked or ground into a meal and used in making bread etc, gruel and as a thickener in soups [2, 46, 85, 106, 183].
- The seed is rather small but when fully ripe it falls readily from the plant and is fairly easy to harvest [183].
- Another report says that the seed is rather large[183], but this has not been our experience [K].
- The seeds were parched over the flames of a fire in order to remove the hairs [213].
- A pleasant taste and very nutritious[85, 183], it contains about 6% sugars and 20% starch [213].
- Before corn was introduced to the area, this seed was at one time a staple food for some native North American Indian tribes [213].
Culture
- Succeeds in any moderately fertile moisture retentive soil in full sun [200].
- This species is unlikely to tolerate temperatures lower than about -5°c, and so will only be suitable for the milder areas of the country [213].
- Currently (1992) being tested for its potential as a perennial cereal for sandy soils in dry regions [183].
Propagation
- Graines - semez en place au printemps [200].
- We have had better results from sowing the seed in a greenhouse .
- Only just cover the seed and it should germinate freely within 2 weeks .
- Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in early summer [K].
- Division au printemps .
- Très facile, des larges divisions peuvent être plantées directement à leur position définitive .
- Nous avons constaté qu'il vaut mieux rempoter les plus petites divisions et les cultiver en mi-ombre sous chassis jusqu'à ce qu'elles soient suffisamment développées avant de les planter en extérieur à la fin du printemps ou au début de l'été .
Calendrier
- En fleur
- 5 - 7
Pollinisation
- Type de fleur
- Hermaphrodite (les fleurs ont des organes mâles et femelles)
- Auto-fertile
- Non
- Pollinisateurs
- Vent
Divers
- Pollution
- Non
- Autres réferences
- [43, 60, 200]
Réferences
[2] Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. 1972.
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
[43] Gray's Manual of Botany. 1950.
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.
[46] Dictionary of Economic Plants. 1959.
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[60] Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. 1955.
A standard flora for Western N. America with lots of information on habitat etc. Five large volumes, it is not for the casual reader.
A standard flora for Western N. America with lots of information on habitat etc. Five large volumes, it is not for the casual reader.
[85] Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. 1967.
A superb book. Very readable, it gives the results of the authors experiments with native edible plants.
A superb book. Very readable, it gives the results of the authors experiments with native edible plants.
[106] The Dictionary of Useful Plants. 1975.
Interesting reading but short on detail.
Interesting reading but short on detail.
[183] Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. 1990.
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[200] The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. 1992.
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[213] Earth Medicine, Earth Food. 1980.
A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.
A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.
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