Triticum aestivum spelta - (L.)Thell.
(L.)Thell.
Spelt Wheat
gbif· cc-by-nc-nd
Sipke Gonggrijp
gbif· cc-by-nc-nd
Sipke Gonggrijp
gbif· cc-by-nc-nd
Sipke Gonggrijp
Description
Triticum aestivum spelta is a ANNUAL growing to 1 m (3ft 3in). It is not frost tender. It is in flower from June to July, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Wind. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.
Edible Uses
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.
Distribution
Original habitat is obscure.
Where It Grows
Coming Soon
Cultivation
An easily grown plant, it succeeds in most well-drained soils in a sunny position. Succeeds in poor soils. Spelt probably arose through cultivation around 8,000 years ago following a cross between T. dicoccum and Aegilops squarrosa. This cross contributed an extra protein gene to the seed, making a stronger flour that is more suitable for making bread. It is sometimes cultivated for its edible seed, especially in the hilly country of C. and N.W. Europe. There are some named varieties. It is becoming increasingly popular as a health-food crop, although it contains gluten it is said to be more nutritious than bread wheat and suitable for many people who are intolerant of the gluten in bread wheat A hexaploid species.
Propagation
Seed - sow early spring or autumn in situ and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within a few days.
Other Uses
Biomass Mulch Paper Starch Thatching. 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 1½ 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.
