Herb: Sesame Grass


Latin name: Tripsacum dactyloides


Family: Gramineae (Grass Family)



Edible parts of Sesame Grass:

Seed - cooked or ground into a flour. The popped seed is almost indistinguishable from strawberry popcorn. Seeds contain about 27% protein, this is about 3 times the protein found in corn and twice that of wheat. It is also about twice as high in the amino acid methionine as corn.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial


Height:
2.5 m
(8 1/4 foot)

Flowering:
August to
September

Habitat of the herb:

Swales, moist fields, woodland edges and shores.

Propagation of Sesame Grass:

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer. Division in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring.

Cultivation of the herb:

Swales, moist fields, woodland edges and shores.

Medicinal use of Sesame Grass:

None known

Known hazards of Tripsacum dactyloides:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.