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Trisetum spicatum

Common name:	Spike Trisetum	Family:	Gramineae
Author:	(L.)K.Richt.	Botanical references:	43, 50
Synonyms:	Trisetum subspicatum (Beauv.), Aira spicata (L.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	N. Europe, N. Asia, Northern N. America as far south as the mountains of California.
Habitat:	Rocky places, tundra meadows, stony slopes and mountain rocks in the Arctic and sub-arctic regions[43, 50].
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.
	Aira subspicata[G] T. molle[G] T. montanum[B] T. montanum var. shearii[B] T. spicatum ssp. alaskanum[B,P] T. spicatum ssp. congdonii[B,P] T. spicatum ssp. majus[B,P] T. spicatum ssp. molle[B,P] T. spicatum ssp. montanum[B] T. spicatum ssp. pilosiglume[B,P] T. spicatum var. alaskanum[B,P] T. spicatum var. congdonii[B,P] T. spicatum var. maidenii[B,P] T. spicatum var. majus[B,P] T. spicatum var. molle[B,P] T. spicatum var. pilosiglume[B,P] T. spicatum var. spicatiforme[B,P] T. spicatum var. villosissimum[B,P] T. triflorum[B,P] T. triflorum ssp. molle[B,P] T. villosissimum[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Narrow False Oat [B,L], Spike Trisetum [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	spica = spike spicatum = in spikes
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Cyperales. Renamed to Poaceae -- Grass family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.3m. . 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), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Seed.

Seed[105, 161, 257]. No more details are given but it is likely to be used as a piñ ole or to be ground into a powder and mixed with cereals when making bread etc.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in many parts of the country. It is likely to require a sunny position and a well-drained soil.
A very variable plant, there are many sub-species[43, 236].

Propagation

Seed - we have no information for this species but suggest sowing the seed in a cold frame in early spring. Only just cover the seed and do not allow the compost to dry out. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.

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.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Trisetum subspicatum (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

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[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.

[236] Hitchcock. A. S. Manual of the Grasses of the United States Dover Publications. New York. 1971 ISBN 0-486-22717-0
A nice and comprehensive flora, though a bit dated. Good line drawings of each plant, plus a brief idea of the habitat and a few notes on plant uses. Not for the casual reader.

[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?Trisetum+spicatum
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Trisetum+spicatum

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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.