Sesame Grass, Eastern gamagrass, Fakahatchee Grass
Tripsacum dactyloides
Family: Poaceae or Gramineae
What it is like
Bloom Color: Yellow. Main Bloom Time: Early fall, Mid fall. Form: Rounded.
Tripsacum dactyloides is a PERENNIAL growing to 2.5 m (8ft) by 1 m (3ft 3in) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 7 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from August to September. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and is pollinated by Wind. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 2.5
Where it is found
Swales, moist fields, woodland edges and shores. Water courses and limestone outcrops.
Eastern N. America - Massachusetts to Michigan and Nebraska, south to Florida, Oklahoma and Texas.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
Seed - cooked or ground into a flour. The popped seed is almost indistinguishable from strawberry popcorn. Seeds contain about 27% protein, this is about 3 times the protein found in corn and twice that of wheat. It is also about twice as high in the amino acid methionine as corn.
Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating: 0
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Border, Erosion control, Ground cover, Massing, Seashore, Specimen. A very easily grown plant, it succeeds in ordinary garden soil. A fairly hardy plant, it withstands severe frost in S. England and seems to be perfectly hardy in Cambridge Botanical gardens. This species is currently (1992) under development as a potential perennial grain crop. The seed has a very high protein content and this can be sacrificed to some extent in order to try and improve overall yields (these are quite low at present). Closely related to Tripsacum floridanum. Bi-generic hybrids with Zea spp are known to occur. Special Features:Attracts birds, Attractive foliage, North American native, Wetlands plant, Inconspicuous flowers or blooms. For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. The plant growth habit is a clumper with limited spread.
Propagating it: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer. Division in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 7-11
Growth: Medium
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist