Sin El-Pheel Ancient Wheat

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Triticum turgidum subsp. polonicum Origin: Iraq Improvement status: Landrace/Cultivar Seeds per packet: ~85 Germination tested 12/2022: 98% Life cycle: Annual or Biennial Another gem from Joseph Lofthouse, Landrace Seedsman, in high-altitude Paradise, Utah. Like all of Joseph's seeds, these are super resilient and contain a great diversity of genes. From Joseph:"An ancient landrace variety from Iraq. Tetraploid. The first time I grew this variety, I felt startled by the huge heads and large seeds. Very productive in my garden. Hull-less, and threshes easily. This seed was collected from plants sown in the fall. May be planted in spring or fall."Sin El-Pheel was collected in Iraq by H.W. Springfield in the 1950s. Springfield was part of the US Operations Mission to Iraq following World War II. He collected dozens of seed accessions, many of which can still be requested from the USDA. This sub-species — Triticum turgidum subsp. polonicum, also known as Polish wheat — is an uncommon species of wheat, found in some seemingly random places around the world (we still have so much to learn about wheat domestication and its proliferation around the globe), including Ethiopia, Portugal, Russia, Iran, Iraq, Hungary, Romania, Chile, Ecuador, Cyprus, and of course Poland. It has large seeds, more like Khorasan wheat (commonly sold as "Kamut") than standard bread wheat. It is said to make excellent pasta, but not be so good for bread, and is high in gluten. We're honored and grateful to be the near-exclusive source of Joseph's amazing seeds — freeing him up to do more farming, plant breeding, pickling, yoga, and loving. We know you will enjoy planting these extraordinary seeds. Thanks Joseph! GROWING TIPS: Plant in early spring. About 2"-6" apart in rows about a foot apart. Grows 3 to 5 feet tall. Show more