Lammasorigin:United Kingdom first record:1650 habit:Winter references >>> ID images >>>includes wheats >>> Red Lammas >>> White Lammas >>> Yellow Lammas |
Red Lammas is certainly the most prominent English millable landrace wheat prior to the 19th century recorded by the first modern botanist, John Ray in 1650 in his Catalogus plantarum circa Cantabrigiam nascentium and highly praised as the "king of wheats" by Ellis in 1753.
The group also includes "White Lammas" which again is mentioned by John Ray and Ellis and "Yellow Lammas" mentioned by Ellis but these seem to have petered out of English cultivation earlier than Red Lammas. However White Lammas became the first popular wheat to be grown by settlers in Australia and Yellow Lammas it seems was transferred to Southern Carolina in the USA and went on to become popular as "Red May" and "Michigan Amber". White Lammas also entered the USA from Australia to become "Pacific Bluestem" (and under various other names). These lines in turn went into later USA wheat breeding so that the Lammas remains an important constituent in the pedigree of modern wheats.
It seems reasonable to assume that these three lines named after their grain colour were all once part of a single landrace type separated out by farmers. The common element in the group is a relatively long lax slightly tapering ear with smooth glume and beardless except a few trace short awns at top occasionally. Plant is at the high end of typical heritage wheat height with a strong slightly tapering straw only slightly bending towards top when mature. In the case of "Red Lammas" straw and ear can be more or less red on ripening though this colouring is soluble and so can disappear in wet summers.
The origin of the name "Lammas wheat" it is commonly assumed refers to the "Lammas" festival which nowadays is August 1st with the implication that Lammas wheat should be ready for harvest by then but this is certainly not true in most seasons. There is some question whether August 1st is the ancient timing of "Lammas day" which may explain the discrepancy
Reference #1
Catalogus plantarum circa Cantabrigiam nascentium by John Ray, 1660 LINKReference #2
The Modern Husbandman, Oct - Dec by William Ellis, 1744 LINK"Red Lammas As Wheat is the King of Grain so this Sort has been deemed hitherto The King of Wheats for having deservedly been under the Reputation of producing the whitest and finest of Flour as is well known in particular to the Londoners"
Other reference
The agriculturist’s manual, forming a report of Lawson’s agricultural museum in Edinburgh by Peter Lawson, 1836 LINK
"Lammas or Red English Wheat
Froment ble Lammas ou Ble rouge Anglais Fr
Originally from England to the north of France where it has been cultivated with a considerable degree of success but although taken from a northern to a southern latitude it is found less adapted for withstanding the winter in the neighbourhood of Paris than the common red wheat No 19. This can only be accounted for by the winter in that part of France being generally colder than in England Form of the ears more waved than in those of the last mentioned sort also thinner and not so much reclined or bent to the side Spikelets bright red towards the extremity lighter and more of a copper colour towards their insertion into the rachis.
The French consider this sort as yielding the finest sample of any of their red wheats It is however liable to be shaken when fully ripe and should therefore be cut a day or two before arriving at full maturity In the quality of its sample this variety very much resembles that of the Red Kent to which it also bears a marked resemblance in its general character so that they are very probably of the same origin and owe any distinction more to the effects of a difference in climate soil or culture than to any thing else."
Red Lammas TR24440 link
Lammas CGN05550 link
Lammas Red CGN04381 link
Red Lammas UK 987 link
Old Kent Red link
Old Burwell link
Michigan Amber link
White Lammas link
Germplasm
Arkansas No. 105 USDA-ARS (USA) #PI 565390
AUS 11138 AGG (AUS) #11138
Clover's Red RCA (HUN) #RCAT004014
Clover's Red VIR (RUS) #k6263
Clovers Red IHAR (POL) #1405
Clovers Red IPK (DEU) #TRI 21468
Clovers Red IPK (DEU) #TRI 1129
Cower's Red Wheat CGN (NLD) #CGN04320
Cowers Red RICP (CZE) #01C0100799
Early Harvest AGG (AUS) #180
Early May AGG (AUS) #10839
Early Premium USDA-ARS (USA) #CItr 11858
Early Premium AGG (AUS) #24689
Firwhill VIR (RUS) #k55542
Firwhill USDA-ARS (USA) #PI 107608
Firwhill AGG (AUS) #2414
Flint VIR (RUS) #k22113
Lambrigg White Lammas AGG (AUS) #3666
Lambrigg-White Lammas AGG (AUS) #11423
Lammas VIR (RUS) #k21499
Lammas CGN (NLD) #CGN05550
Lammas IHAR (POL) #1724
Lammas AGG (AUS) #10756
Lammas Red IHAR (POL) #1725
Lammas Red IPK (DEU) #TRI 1126
Lammas Red IPK (DEU) #TRI 24440
Lammas Red CGN (NLD) #CGN04381
Michigan Amber BVAL (AUT) #BVAL-220009
Michigan Amber CGN (NLD) #CGN05571
Michigan Amber VIR (RUS) #k5229
Michigan Amber IPGR (BGR) #1998-TRT-AE-45
Michigan Amber IPGR (BGR) #1982-TRT-AE-1129
Michigan Amber IPK (DEU) #TRI 2364
Michigan Amber USDA-ARS (USA) #CItr 11379
Michigan Amber RICP (CZE) #01C0101464
Michigan Amber AGG (AUS) #3012
Michigan Amber IPK (DEU) #TRI 21824
Michigan Amber IPK (DEU) #TRI 15905
Michigan Amber ACW (CHE) #440
Michigan Amber USDA-ARS (USA) #PI 351203
Michigan Amber BVAL (AUT) #BVAL-230030
Michigan Amber NORDGEN (SWE) #NGB11001
Michigan Amber GRU-JIC (GBR) #W6516
Michigan Amber ITA266 (ITA) #SALT8802051
Michigan Amber IPGR (BGR) #1983-TRT-AE-413
Michigan Amber IPK (DEU) #TRI 4475
Michigan Amber IHAR (POL) #4121
Michigan Amber AGG (AUS) #90044
Michigan Amber * (Chancellor)8 GRU-JIC (GBR) #W6525
Michigan Amber 10 GRU-JIC (GBR) #W6479
Michigan Amber 144R 3 AGG (AUS) #20209
Michigan Amber 144R3 NORDGEN (SWE) #NGB11267
Michigan Amber 29-1-1-1 IPK (DEU) #TRI 25131
Michigan Amber 29-1-1-1 USDA-ARS (USA) #CItr 11770
Michigan Amber 7 GRU-JIC (GBR) #W6478
Michigan Amber Selection RCA (HUN) #RCAT000678
Michigan Amber Selection IPK (DEU) #TRI 6903
Michigan Amber Selection IPGR (BGR) #1980-TRT-AE-586
Michigan Amber Selection IHAR (POL) #396
Michigan Amber Wageningen IPK (DEU) #TRI 25005
Michigan Amber x .. ITA266 (ITA) #SALT8802052
Michigan Amber/CC 8 PM 5 ITA349 (ITA) #ROMGA11364
Old Burrel GRU-JIC (GBR) #W1168
Old Kent Red CGN (NLD) #CGN05630
Old Kent Red GRU-JIC (GBR) #W10033
Oregon VIR (RUS) #k40564
Pacific Bluestem VIR (RUS) #k22025
Pacific Bluestem ACW (CHE) #310
Pacific Bluestem USDA-ARS (USA) #CItr 4067
Pacific Bluestem AGG (AUS) #3137
Red IHAR (POL) #1227
Red Lammas IPK (DEU) #TRI 24664
Red Lammas AGG (AUS) #12108
Red Lammas GRU-JIC (GBR) #W0987
Red Lammas AGG (AUS) #10762
Red May USDA-ARS (USA) #CItr 5336
Red May USDA-ARS (USA) #CItr 5620
Red May IPK (DEU) #TRI 14041
Red May IPK (DEU) #TRI 23714
Red May AGG (AUS) #3244
Red May USDA-ARS (USA) #CItr 12023
Red May IHAR (POL) #2499
Red May RCA (HUN) #RCAT001814
Red May AGG (AUS) #3243
Red May VIR (RUS) #k22157
Redhard VIR (RUS) #k33074
Redhart AGG (AUS) #7594
Redhart USDA-ARS (USA) #CItr 8898
Shepherd AGG (AUS) #3368
Shepherd USDA-ARS (USA) #CItr 6163
Shepherd AGG (AUS) #3370
Wagga White Lammas AGG (AUS) #1600
Wagga White Lammas AGG (AUS) #6119
Wagga White Lammas AGG (AUS) #1601
White Ausrralian VIR (RUS) #k5746
White Australia AGG (AUS) #3538
White Australian IPK (DEU) #TRI 22920
White Australian USDA-ARS (USA) #PI 45424
White Lammas AGG (AUS) #1658
White Lammas AGG (AUS) #12102
White Lammas AGG (AUS) #1659
White Lammas USDA-ARS (USA) #PI 114639