Common Name:

General Information

Aegilops speltoides is a clump-forming, annual grass with erect culms 20 - 70cm long.
The seed is sometimes harvested from the wild as an emergency food.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southeast Europe - Greece, Bulgaria; W. Asia - Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Syria, Irag, Iran

Habitat

Dry acid grassland[], oak scrub, plains, rocky limestone hills, fallow fields and edges of cornfields; at elevations from 100 - 1,200 metres in Turkey[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Wind
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Aegilops speltoides is a plant of drier regions, often semi-arid. Because it is a summer annual, it can also be grown in a wider range of conditions - it succeeds, for example, at Kew Gardens in London, England and also in the much moister southwest of the country[].
Prefers a sunny position, but also tolerates light shade[]. It requires a well-drained soil and has been seen growing well on an acid gravelly soil and also on a slightly acid loam[].
This species is believed to have hybridized with primitive forms of Triticum spp (Wheat) to produce some of the more modern Triticum spp. It could therefore be of value in breeding programmes.

Edible Uses

Seed - cooked. Small and very fiddly to harvest and clean[]. An emergency food, it is normally used as a cereal substitute for making bread etc[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

This species is believed to have hybridized with primitive forms of Triticum spp (Wheat) to produce some of the more modern Triticum spp. It could therefore be of value in breeding programmes.

Propagation

Seed - sow early to mid spring in situ and only just cover the seed. Make sure the soil does not dry out before the plants germinate. Seed can also be sown early early spring in a greenhouse and planted out in May.