Club Wheat
Triticum aestivum compactum
Family: Poaceae or Gramineae
What it is like
Triticum aestivum compactum is a ANNUAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft). 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.
Height (m): 0.6
Where it is found
Not known in a truly wild situation.
The origin is uncertain.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
Seed - cooked. It is usually ground into a flour and used as a cereal. Used in making bread, starchy breakfast foods, crackers etc, though the seed is low in gluten and so any bread will not rise that well.
Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating:
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.
Biomass: Provides a large quantity of plant material that can be converted into fuel etc.
Mulch: Used for covering the ground to conserve the nutrients in the soil.
Paper: Related to the entry for Fibre, these plants have been specifically mentioned for paper making.
Starch: Used as a fabric stiffener.
Thatching: Used for making thatched roofs.
How it is grown
An easily grown plant, it prefers a sunny position in a rich well-drained soil. Succeeds in poor soils. One of the more modern species of wheat, probably developed around 8,000 years ago as a result of a cross between T. dicoccum and Aegilops squarrosa. It is still cultivated for its edible seed in S. Europe, S.W. Asia and also in S. America. This is a low-growing species with strong stiff straw. There is at least one named variety - 'Pima' is a beardless soft white wheat with an unusually compact head. It is excellent for flour tortillas. A hexaploid species.
Propagating it: Seed - sow early spring or autumn in situ and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within a few days.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Annual
Hardiness:
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist