Eragrostis tef aka Abyssinian Lovegrass

Eragrostis tef, called teff, is an annual grass in the Poaceae family. Its native range covers northeast and east tropical Africa. It also extends into the Arabian Peninsula. It grows in regions with a seasonally dry tropical climate. Ethiopia has a long history of growing teff for food. Farmers elsewhere also grow it for grain, though less widely.

The plant forms upright clumps with shallow, fibrous roots. Garden references give a height of about 3.3 feet (1 metre). Other accounts describe culms reaching 4.9 feet (1.5 metres). Some plants reach 6.6 feet (2 metres). The stems can lodge, falling over as the crop grows. Each flower has both male and female parts. Wind carries the pollen, and plants can also fertilise themselves. In Britain, flowers appear from August to September. Seeds ripen from September to October.

Teff needs full sun and will not grow in shade. It grows in sand, loam, or clay with good drainage. A rich loam suits it well. It accepts mildly acid, neutral, and mildly alkaline soils. Soil can be dry or moist. Warm summers help the grain ripen before the season ends. One source gives about four months from sowing to maturity. Another calls for at least 150 growing days. Cool British summers can make a grain crop less reliable. PFAF lists USDA zones 8–11.

Sow seed under glass in early spring, with a light covering. The seeds tend to sprout fast and well. Move seedlings into separate pots once large enough to handle. Plant them outside after the last expected frost. Direct sowing in late April is another option in Britain. Yet a cool summer may leave too little time for ripe grain. Teff also serves as an ornamental plant in cultivated beds. It sometimes appears on waste ground in Britain.

The tiny seeds are edible when cooked and are easy to harvest. They contain about 13 percent protein. People use the grain for bread and fermented foods. In Ethiopia, it makes injera, a thin, sour, spongy bread. The supplied sources report no known hazards or medicinal uses. They disagree about its potential to become a weed. Neither provides details of specific pests or diseases.