Herb: Canadian Wild Rye


Latin name: Elymus canadensis


Family: Gramineae (Grass Family)



Edible parts of Canadian Wild Rye:

Seed - cooked. It can be ground into a flour and used to make bread. Quite fiddly to use, the seed is small and difficult to separate. The seed was an important item of food for the Paiute Indians of south-western N. America.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial


Height:
75 cm
(2 feet)

Flowering:
July to
August

Habitat of the herb:

Dry sandy gravelly or rocky soil. Thickets and open woods in limestone and sandy clay soils in Texas.

Other uses of Canadian Wild Rye:

The plant has an extensive root system and can be used for binding sand dunes.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - sow mid spring in situ and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. If the supply of seed is limited, it can also be sown in mid spring in a cold frame. Only just cover the seed. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in summer Division in spring or summer. 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 Canadian Wild Rye:

Dry sandy gravelly or rocky soil. Thickets and open woods in limestone and sandy clay soils in Texas.

Medicinal use of the herb:

None known

Known hazards of Elymus canadensis:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.