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Ampelodesmos mauritanicus

Common name:		Family:	Gramineae
Author:	(Poir.)T.Dur.& Schinz.	Botanical references:	50, 200
Synonyms:	Arundo tenax (Vahl.), Arundo mauritanica (Poir.), Arundo festucoides (Desf.), Arundo bicolor (Desf. non Poir.), Arundo ampeldesmos (Cyr.), Ampelodesmos tenax
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Europe - Mediterranean.
Habitat:	Dry places, mainly near the coast[50].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	A. bicolor[G] A. mauritanica[B,G,HORTIPLEX,P] Arundo donax[B,C,ENERGY,E,G,H,HORTIPLEX,L,P] Arundo donax var. versicolor[B] Arundo pliniana[G] Arundo plinii[G] Arundo versicolor[B]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Arundo [E], Cana [E], Canne De Provence [E], Ghab Farsi [E], Giant Reed [L,FEIS], Giant-reed [B], Giantreed [P], Herbe Roseau [E], Kamis [E], Mauritanian Grass [P,B], Qamish [E], Roseau [E], Z'Herbe Roseau [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	aurita = eared mauritanicus = North African
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Cyperales. Renamed to Poaceae -- Grass family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Haiti Iraq Italy Spain Turkey

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 3m by 1m . It is hardy to zone 8. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Wind. We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Fibre Paper.

The leaves are used to make a rope[61] and are also used in papermaking[103].

Cultivation details

Requires a fertile well-drained but moist soil in a sheltered sunny position[200].
Plants are not very hardy in Britain, they only succeed outdoors in the milder parts of the country tolerating temperatures down to between -5 to -10° c[200].

Propagation

Seed - we have no details for this species but suggest surface sowing the seed in a greenhouse in spring. Do not allow the compost to dry out. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on for at least the first winter in a greenhouse, planting them out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in spring as the plant comes into growth. The divisions can be planted out straight into their permanent positions, though it might be safer to get them established and growing well in pots first.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

References for Ampelodesmos mauritanica (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Arundo donax (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[V] Images from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A& M Bioinformatics Working Group.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HEC] Use, Folk Medicine, etc. from Handbook of Energy Crops by James Duke
[FEIS] Data (Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Arundo pliniana (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[103] Haywood. V. H. Flowering Plants of the World. Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-217674-9
Very readable and well illustrated, it lists plants by families giving the basic diagnostic features and some details of plant uses.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Ampelodesmos+mauritanicus
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Ampelodesmos+mauritanicus

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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.