Herb: Californian Brome


Latin name: Bromus carinatus


Synonyms: Ceratochloa carinatus


Family: Gramineae (Grass Family)



Edible parts of Californian Brome:

Seed - cooked. Used as a piäole.The dried seed can be ground into a powder and mixed with water to make a mush or made into bread. The seed is rather small and fiddly to utilize.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Annual/Biennial


Height:
75 cm
(2 feet)

Habitat of the herb:

Various habitats from moist woods to dry open meadows or sagebrush covered hills, sometimes to the timber line. Found naturalized along the Thames at Kew and Oxford.

Propagation of Californian Brome:

Seed - sow spring or autumn in situ and only just cover. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. If seed is in short supply it can be surface sown in a cold frame in early spring. When large enough to handle, prick out the seedlings into individual pots and plant them out in early summer. Division in spring. Large clumps can be planted out direct into their permanent positions whilst it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are ready to be planted out.

Cultivation of the herb:

Various habitats from moist woods to dry open meadows or sagebrush covered hills, sometimes to the timber line. Found naturalized along the Thames at Kew and Oxford.

Medicinal use of Californian Brome:

None known

Known hazards of Bromus carinatus:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.