Triticum aestivum spelta
(L.)Thell.
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: Spelt Wheat
General Information
Triticum aestivum spelta 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 source of materials.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
50- Title
- Flora Europaea
- Publication
-
- Author
- ?
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1964
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- 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.
Range
Original habitat is obscure.
Habitat
Developed through cultivation, it is not known in a truly wild location.
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Habit | Annual |
| Height | 1.00 m |
| Pollinators | Wind |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
An easily grown plant, it succeeds in most well-drained soils in a sunny position. Succeeds in poor soils[
171- Title
- Economic Botany.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Hill. A. F.
- Publisher
- The Maple Press
- Year
- 1952
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some detail about the plants it does cover.
].
Spelt probably arose through cultivation around 8,000 years ago following a cross between T. dicoccum and Aegilops squarrosa. This cross contributed an extra protein gene to the seed, making a stronger flour that is more suitable for making bread. It is sometimes cultivated for its edible seed, especially in the hilly country of C. and N.W. Europe[
50- Title
- Flora Europaea
- Publication
-
- Author
- ?
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1964
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- 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.
,
57- Title
- Plants for Man.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Schery. R. W.
- Publisher
-
- Year
-
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Fairly readable but not very comprehensive. Deals with plants from around the world.
,
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
]. There are some named varieties[
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
]. It is becoming increasingly popular as a health-food crop, although it contains gluten it is said to be more nutritious than bread wheat and suitable for many people who are intolerant of the gluten in bread wheat
A hexaploid species[
142- Title
- Plants Consumed by Man.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Brouk. B.
- Publisher
- Academic Press
- Year
- 1975
- ISBN
- 0-12-136450-x
- Description
- Readable but not very comprehensive.
].
Edible Uses
Seed - cooked[
57- Title
- Plants for Man.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Schery. R. W.
- Publisher
-
- Year
-
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Fairly readable but not very comprehensive. Deals with plants from around the world.
,
61- Title
- A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Usher. G.
- Publisher
- Constable
- Year
- 1974
- ISBN
- 0094579202
- Description
- Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
,
105- Title
- Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Tanaka. T. & Nakao S.
- Publisher
- Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo
- Year
- 1976
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- The most comprehensive list of 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.
]. It is usually ground into a flour and used as a cereal for making bread, biscuits etc. Pasta made from this grain has a delicious nutty flavour[
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
]. The seed retains its glumes when threshed[
46- Title
- Dictionary of Economic Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Uphof. J. C. Th.
- Publisher
- Weinheim
- Year
- 1959
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
].
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
The straw has many uses, as a biomass for fuel etc, for thatching, as a mulch in the garden etc[
141- Title
- Alternative Enterprises for Agriculture in the UK.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Carruthers. S. P. (Editor)
- Publisher
- Centre for Agricultural Strategy, Univ. of Reading
- Year
- 1986
- ISBN
- 0704909820
- Description
- Some suggested alternative commercial crops for Britain. Readable. Produced by a University study group.
].
A fibre obtained from the stems is used for making paper[
189- Title
- Plant Fibres for Papermaking.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Bell. L. A.
- Publisher
- Liliaceae Press
- Year
- 1988
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A good practical section on how to make paper on a small scale plus details of about 75 species (quite a few of them tropical) that can be used.
]. The stems are harvested in late summer after the seed has been harvested, they are cut into usable pieces and soaked in clear water for 24 hours. They are then cooked for 2 hours in lye or soda ash and then beaten in a ball mill for 1½ hours in a ball mill. The fibres make a green-tan paper[
189- Title
- Plant Fibres for Papermaking.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Bell. L. A.
- Publisher
- Liliaceae Press
- Year
- 1988
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A good practical section on how to make paper on a small scale plus details of about 75 species (quite a few of them tropical) that can be used.
].
The starch from the seed is used for laundering, sizing textiles etc[
46- Title
- Dictionary of Economic Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Uphof. J. C. Th.
- Publisher
- Weinheim
- Year
- 1959
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
,
61- Title
- A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Usher. G.
- Publisher
- Constable
- Year
- 1974
- ISBN
- 0094579202
- Description
- Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
]. It can also be converted to alcohol for use as a fuel.
Propagation
Seed - sow early spring or autumn in situ and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within a few days[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].
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Useful Temperate Plants Database 2016 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
