Nipa. Palmer saltgrass, NyPa Wild Wheat
Distichlis palmeri

Family: Poaceae

What it is like

Distichlis palmeri is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.4 m (1ft 4in) by 0.2 m (0ft 8in) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline and saline soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist or wet soil and can grow in water and can tolerate drought.

Height (m): 0.4

Where it is found

Along coastlines and on salt flats and disturbed soils, as well as forest, woodland, montane, and desert scrub habitats. Grows easily in salty and alkaline soils, excreting salts from its tissues via salt glands.

Mesoamerica.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Mexico, North America, USA. Australia

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

Edible Portion: Seeds, Cereal. Originally a major food source of the Cocopah tribe in the western United States. The grains are cooked as a cereal. They are roasted or used in muffins or stuffings. Carbon Farming Solutions - Staple Crop: balanced carb (The term staple crop typically refers to a food that is eaten routinely and accounts for a dominant part of people's diets in a particular region of the world). A deep root system reaches down at least 1.5m. It is ideally suited to areas saline discharge zones, where it can readily access the saline water, and dry out the soil profile, while producing a valuable grain. The grain that is produced is ideally suited for human consumption, with an amino acid balance that is more favorable than wheat, and it is also gluten free and has a pleasant nutty flavor. Work with the grain in Australia has shown it to have a higher yield of flour to grain that wheat, it's starch rapidly retrogrades an behaves as an emulsifier. The United Nations Environment Report (2006) says of the plant: "It is a strong candidate for a major global food crop and could become this desert's greatest gift to the world." Some varieties of D. palmeri have been the subjects of US patents.

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating: 2

Saltgrass is grazed by both cattle and horses and it has a forage value of fair to good because it remains green when most other grasses are dry during the drought periods and it is resistant to grazing and trampling.

Fodder: Food given to the animals (including plants cut and carried to them) rather than forage for themselves.

Management: Fodder: Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

Staple Crop: Balanced carb: (0-15 percent protein, 0-15 percent oil, with at least one over 5 percent). The carbohydrates are from either starch or sugar. Annuals include maize, wheat, rice, and potato. Perennials include chestnuts, carob, perennial fruits, nuts, cereals, pseudocereals, woody pods, and acorns.

Wild Staple Crop: Some wild plants have strong historical or contemporary use. Although they are not cultivated crops, they may be wild-managed.

Management: Fodder: Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

Staple Crop: Balanced carb: (0-15 percent protein, 0-15 percent oil, with at least one over 5 percent). The carbohydrates are from either starch or sugar. Annuals include maize, wheat, rice, and potato. Perennials include chestnuts, carob, perennial fruits, nuts, cereals, pseudocereals, woody pods, and acorns.

Wild Staple Crop: Some wild plants have strong historical or contemporary use. Although they are not cultivated crops, they may be wild-managed.

Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

Climate: tropical. Humidity: humid, aquatic. Grows along coastlines and on salt flats and disturbed soils, as well as forest, woodland, montane, and desert scrub habitats. Grows easily in salty and alkaline soils, excreting salts from its tissues via salt glands. It is drought resistant and can absorb seawater. As a halophyte, the salt it absorbs is excreted from specialised cells on the leaf surface. A breeding program in the US has increased yields to 2 tonnes/ha. Carbon Farming Solutions - Cultivation: wild staple, under development. Management: standard, fodder (Describes the non-destructive management systems that are used in cultivation).

Propagating it: Seed

Best place to grow:

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Fast

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist, wet, water

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Nyipa, Trigo gentil, Wild-wheat, Palmer's grass, Nipa grass, Saltgrass

Synonyms

Uniola palmeri Vasey