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Catabrosa aquatica

Common name:	Water WhirlGrass	Family:	Gramineae
Author:	(L.)Beauv.	Botanical references:	17
Synonyms:	Glyceria aquatica (L.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Most of Europe, including Britain but absent in Spain and Portugal, N. and W. Asia, Algeria.
Habitat:	Shallow streams and ditches, at the muddy margins of ponds and in wet sandy places near the sea all over Britain[17].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Aira aquatica[B] C. aquatica var. uniflora[B]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Brook Grass [L], Reed Manna-grass [H], Water Whorl Grass [B], Water Whorl-grass [H,L], Water Whorlgrass [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	aquatica = in water;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Cyperales. Renamed to Poaceae -- Grass family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.7m. It is hardy to zone 3. It is in flower from June to August, and the seeds ripen from July to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Wind. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires wet soil and can grow in water.

Edible Uses

Seed[257]. No more information is given, but the seed is very small and fiddly to use. It would probably have been used as piñole or have been ground into a powder and used as a mush, as a thickener in soups and stews, or in making cakes, bread etc[K].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

A decoction of the plant has been used as a stimulant and tonic[257].

Other Uses

The plant has been burnt as an incense[257].

Cultivation details

We have no information on this, though judging by the plants native habitat it requires a wet soil and also succeeds in shallow water. It will also probably require a fairly sunny position[K].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow in the spring in a pot standing in shallow water. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer.
Division in the spring. The divisions can be planted direct into their permanent positions.

Suppliers

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

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[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.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Glyceria aquatica (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names 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

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

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?Catabrosa+aquatica
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Catabrosa+aquatica

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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.