Herb: Water WhirlGrass


Latin name: Catabrosa aquatica


Synonyms: Glyceria aquatica


Family: Gramineae (Grass Family)



Medicinal use of Water WhirlGrass:

A decoction of the plant has been used as a stimulant and tonic.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial


Height:
70 cm
(2 feet)

Flowering:
June to
August

Habitat of the herb:

Shallow streams and ditches, at the muddy margins of ponds and in wet sandy places near the sea all over Britain.

Edible parts of Water WhirlGrass:

Seed. No more information is given, but the seed is very small and fiddly to use. It would probably have been used as piäole or have been ground into a powder and used as a mush, as a thickener in soups and stews, or in making cakes, bread etc.

Other uses of the herb:

The plant has been burnt as an incense.

Propagation of Water WhirlGrass:

Seed - surface sow in the spring in a pot standing in shallow water. 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. Division in the spring. The divisions can be planted direct into their permanent positions.

Cultivation of the herb:

Shallow streams and ditches, at the muddy margins of ponds and in wet sandy places near the sea all over Britain.

Known hazards of Catabrosa aquatica:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.