Herb: Cock's Foot


Latin name: Dactylis glomerata


Family: Gramineae (Grass Family)



Medicinal use of Cock's Foot:

Reported to be oestrogenic. the plant is a folk remedy for treating tumours, kidney and bladder ailments

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Perennial

Height:
100 cm
(3 1/4 foot)

Flowering:
May to
August

Habitat of the herb:

Meadows, waste places, by roads and on downs.

Other uses of Cock's Foot:

Plants form impenetrably dense clumps and when planted close together in drifts make an excellent ground cover. Having a deep root system, the plant is also useful for checking soil erosion. The plant can be grown for biomass, annual productivity ranges from 2 to 37 tonnes per hectare. If soil fertility is low, a large portion of the total production occurs in the spring, but if the soil is highly fertile, production is well distributed throughout the growing season.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - surface sow in a cold frame in the spring and do not allow the compost to dry out. Germination should take place within three weeks. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer. There is between 725,000 and 1,450,000 seeds per kilo. If you have sufficient seed it can be sown outdoors in situ in the spring. Division in spring. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.

Cultivation of Cock's Foot:

Meadows, waste places, by roads and on downs.

Known hazards of Dactylis glomerata:

This plant is an important cause of hayfever.

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.