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Puccinellia distans

Common name:	Sweet Grass	Family:	Gramineae
Author:	(Jacq.)Parl.	Botanical references:	17
Synonyms:	Poa distans (L.), Glyceria distans ((Jacq.)Wahlenb.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Europe, including Britain, to Siberia.
Habitat:	Salt marshes, muddy estuaries and occasionally on sandy ground inland[17].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Atropis distans[G] P. distans ssp. distans[B,P] P. distans var. tenuis[B,P] P. retroflexa[B,P] P. suksdorfii[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Reflexed Saltmarsh-grass [L], Spreading Alkali Grass [B], Weeping Alkaligrass [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	distans = separating;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Cyperales. Renamed to Poaceae -- Grass family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.6m. . 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 0/5 for medicinal use.

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

Edible Uses

Seed - cooked[257]. No more information is given, but the seed can probably be used as pinole, or can be ground into a powder and used as a thickener in soups or with cereal flours when making bread, cakes etc[K].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

We have no information for this species, but judging by its native habitats it should be amenable to a range of conditions from sandy well-drained to quite muddy, as long as it is in a reasonably sunny position[K].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow in pots in the spring and do not allow to dry out. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
Division in the spring.

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.

References for Puccinellia distans ssp. distans (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.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants 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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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?Puccinellia+distans
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Puccinellia+distans

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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.