Pacific Bluestem (awnless)

This is a spring growth-habit wheat with hard, white-color kernels. It is a descendant from the legendary White Lamma variety of England. White Lamma was the leading wheat variety when wheat production began in Australia. It exhibited straw strength during the Kusa Seed organization’s grow-outs with average height of 60”. It was exposed in the field in Ojai, California, to multiple nights of 16° F. at 50 days of age, with no harm to the seedlings. It was extensively grown in California about 100 years ago where it acquired a reputation for excellent baking quality. It was more extensively grown for a time in California than any other wheat variety, long before the age of chemical herbicides. Commercial production then spread to the states of Washington and Oregon. No one knows why the name “bluestem” was chosen for this variety, as the stems are not blue at all. To distinguish it from many other bluestem varieties, it was christened “Pacific.” It reached California from Australia about 1850. One of the most popular wheats in California and the Northwest over 150 years ago. A flavorful wheat that is reputed to be the wheat used to make the famous San Francisco sourdough bread.