Herb: Spelt Wheat


Latin name: Triticum aestivum spelta


Synonyms: Triticum spelta


Family: Gramineae (Grass Family)



Edible parts of Spelt Wheat:

Seed - cooked. 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. The seed retains its glumes when threshed.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Annual


Height:
100 cm
(3 1/4 foot)

Flowering:
June
to July

Habitat of the herb:

Developed through cultivation, it is not known in a truly wild location.

Other uses of Spelt Wheat:

The straw has many uses, as a biomass for fuel etc, for thatching, as a mulch in the garden etc. A fibre obtained from the stems is used for making paper. 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 1? hours in a ball mill. The fibres make a green-tan paper. The starch from the seed is used for laundering, sizing textiles etc. It can also be converted to alcohol for use as a fuel.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - sow early spring or autumn in situ and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within a few days.

Cultivation of Spelt Wheat:

Developed through cultivation, it is not known in a truly wild location.

Medicinal use of the herb:

None known

Known hazards of Triticum aestivum spelta:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.