Spelt Wheat
Triticum aestivum spelta
Family: Poaceae or Gramineae
What it is like
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.
Height (m): 1
Where it is found
Developed through cultivation, it is not known in a truly wild location.
Original habitat is obscure.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 4
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.
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 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.
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