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Glyceria fluitans - (L.)R.Br.

Floating Manna Grass

Author	(L.)R.Br.	Botanical references	17
Family	Gramineae	Genus	Glyceria
Synonyms	Panicularia fluitans - (L.) Kuntze.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	Europe, including Britain, temperate Asia the Caucasus and N. America.
Habitat	Shallow water, either stagnant or slow flowing, or in wet soils whether acid or calcareous[17].
Edibility Rating	3 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	0 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.45m by 0.45m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid and very alkaline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires wet soil and can grow in water.

Habitats

Pond; Bog Garden;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Seed.

Seed - raw or cooked[43, 57, 100]. A sweetish taste, the seed was considered a delicacy in some parts of Europe and was an article of commerce until well into the 20th century[183]. A flour from the seed is said to make a bread little inferior to wheat bread, the flour can also be used as a thickener in soups etc when it imparts a sweet delicate flavour[183]. Unfortunately, the seed is very small and therefore the plant is relatively unproductive[K].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

None known

Other Uses

Incense.

The leaves have been burnt as an incense[257].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in most soils, so long as they are wet, and in shallow water[115]. Dislikes shade. This plant is occasionally cultivated for its edible seed[115], it is not very large and is somewhat fiddly to harvest but is considered to be an epicure's food[183].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse in a pot standing in 3 - 5cm of water. Surface sow the seed, or only just cover it. Germination should take place within 3 weeks. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in early summer. If you have sufficient seed then it can be sown outdoors in situ in mid to late spring. Division in spring. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: The Edible Pond and Bog Garden, Staple seed crops from perennials..

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[57] Schery. R. W. Plants for Man. 0
Fairly readable but not very comprehensive. Deals with plants from around the world.

[100] Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969 ISBN 0192176218
An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.

[115] Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain. 0
Written about a hundred years ago, but still a very good guide to the useful plants of Britain.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Glyceria fluitans

Andreas Emmerling-Skala Wed Dec 3 16:05:32 2003

There are two important german publications about the history and use of this plant:

Ascherson, Paul, 1895-1896: Eine verschollene Getreideart. - Brandenburgia. Monatsblatt der Gesellschaft für Heimatkunde der Provinz Brandenburg zu Berlin 4: 37-60

Bastine, W., 1963: Brandenburgisches Manna (Glyceria fluitens (L.) R.Br.). Ein Beitrag zur Monographie eines Wildgetreides. - Jahrbuch für Brandenburgische Landesgeschichte [Berlin; ISSN: 0447-2683] 14: 53-71

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