Lolium temulentum
L.
Poaceae
The Temperate Database is in the process of being updated, with new records being added and old ones being checked and brought up to date where necessary. This record has not yet been checked and updated.
Common Name: Darnel
General Information
Lolium temulentum is an annual plant that can grow up to 1.00 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine
Known Hazards
The seed is not poisonous but it is often infected by a fungus which is very toxic. It is probably safer not to eat the seed because of the risk involved[
114- Title
- The Plant Wealth of Iraq.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Chakravarty. H. L.
- Publisher
-
- Year
-
- ISBN
-
- Description
- It is surprising how many of these plants can be grown in Britain. A very readable book on the useful plants of Iraq.
].
Botanical References
17- Title
- Flora of the British Isles.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1962
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
,
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
Range
Europe - Mediterranean. An introduced casual in Britain.
Habitat
Cultivated fields and waste ground in Britain[
17- Title
- Flora of the British Isles.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1962
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
].
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Habit | Annual |
| Height | 1.00 m |
| Pollinators | Wind |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[
1- Title
- RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
- Publication
-
- Author
- F. Chittendon.
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Year
- 1951
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
].
This is a noxious arable weed, widespread and naturalized in warm-temperate parts of the world (Darnel). The grains are often infected by a fungus (ergot) which produces the alkaloid temulin, causing poisoning when grazed by cattle or when present as a contaminant of flour[
266- Title
- Flora of China
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
- Publisher
- Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis.
- Year
- 1994
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
].
Edible Uses
Seed - cooked. Used as a piñole or ground into a flour and used to make bread etc[
213- Title
- Earth Medicine, Earth Food.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Weiner. M. A.
- Publisher
- Ballantine Books
- Year
- 1980
- ISBN
- 0-449-90589-6
- Description
- A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.
,
257- Title
- Native American Ethnobotany
- Publication
-
- Author
- Moerman. D.
- Publisher
- Timber Press. Oregon.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-88192-453-9
- Description
- 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.
]. It is very nutritious, like oats, but it is not advisable to eat the seed due to the risk of fungal infection[
114- Title
- The Plant Wealth of Iraq.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Chakravarty. H. L.
- Publisher
-
- Year
-
- ISBN
-
- Description
- It is surprising how many of these plants can be grown in Britain. A very readable book on the useful plants of Iraq.
]. This fungal infection, called ergot, causes hallucinations in small doses but can cause severe damage to the nervous system in larger quantities.
Medicinal
The seed is anodyne and sedative[
4- Title
- A Modern Herbal.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Grieve.
- Publisher
- Penguin
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 0-14-046-440-9
- Description
- Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
]. It is not actually the seed, but a fungus that is often found on the seed that has the medicinal properties[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in situ.
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Useful Temperate Plants Database 2016 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
