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Koeleria macrantha
| Common name: |
June Grass |
Family: |
Gramineae |
| Author: |
(Ledeb.)Schult. |
Botanical references: |
17, 200 |
| Synonyms: |
Koeleria pyramidata ((Lam)Beauv.), Koeleria gracilis (Pers.), Koeleria cristata ((L.)Pers.), Aira cristata |
| Known Hazards: |
None known |
| Range: |
Northern temperate zone, including Britain, between latitudes 37° and 60° N. |
| Habitat: |
Sandy places, chalk and limestone pastures[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 macrantha[G]
K. albescens[G]
K. cristata auct. p. p. non[P]
K. cristata var. longifolia[B,P]
K. cristata var. pinetorum[B,P]
K. mukdenensis[G]
K. nitida[B,G,P]
K. pyramidata auct. p. p. non[P]
K. sp.[G]
K. yukonensis[B,P]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Crested Hair-grass [L], Junegrass [H], Prairie Junegrass [FEIS,P], Prairie Koeler's Grass [B], Smal Fakkelgras [D], |
| Epithets: | From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets |
|
acrantha = flowers at apices;
macrantha = large flowered;
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA
Plants Database |
|
Order: Cyperales. Renamed to Poaceae -- Grass family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Lesotho
|
Physical Characteristics
Perennial growing to 0.5m. It is hardy to zone 2. It is in flower from June to July. 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, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.
It requires moist soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Meadow, Cultivated Beds.Edible Uses
Seed.
Seed - cooked. It is ground into a powder and eaten like porridge or
used as a flour for making bread etc[105, 161, 177, 257].
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Styptic.
The plant has been used in the treatment of cuts[257].
Other Uses
Broom; Brush.
The leaf blades of the plant have been tied together and used as
paintbrushes and brooms[257].
Bunches of the leaf blades, about 30cm long, have been tied with string or
yucca fibre, and used as a scourer for cleaning pans etc[257].
The straw has been mixed with adobe to give strength and adhesion when
building walls[257].
Cultivation details
Succeeds in most soils in a sunny position[1, 200]. Prefers a chalky
soil[1]. Grows best in a soil that is not too fertile[200].
This is an aggregate species[50]. K. cristata is now divided into K.
macrantha (which is also the name of the aggregate) and K. pyramidata
(Lam.)Beauv. K. macrantha is native to Britain, K. pyramidata, which is found
wild in meadows and wood margins, is native to much of mainland Europe[50].
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in situ and only just cover the seed[162].
Germination should take place within three weeks.
Division in spring[162].
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- [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.
- [C] Taxon data.
from the CalFlora database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [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 Koeleria cristata (a possible synonym).
References for Koeleria pyramidata (a possible synonym).
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [FAO] Data
(Description, Habitat, Location and Use) from the FAO's Grassland Index.
References for Koeleria sp. (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.
[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[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.
[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.
[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.
[162] Grounds. R. Ornamental Grasses. Christopher Helm 1989 ISBN 0-7470-1219-9
Cultivation details of many of the grasses and bamboos. Well illustrated.
[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
[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.
[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
Main Search Page
Bibliography
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?Koeleria+macrantha
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Koeleria+macrantha
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