Maris Widgeon is a heritage variety of wheat that has traditionally been used for thatching in the UK. This variety was developed in 1964 by the Plant Breeding Institute in Cambridgeshire. The 'Maris' in the name, was derived from Maris Lane, the address of PBI headquarters in

Trumpington Trumpington is a village and parish to the south of Cambridge, England. The village is an electoral ward of the City of Cambridge and a ward of South Cambridgeshire District Council. The 2011 Census recorded the ward's population as 8,034. T ...

, Cambridge.

Uses

It produces a tall, strong stemmed straw without the use of artificial fertilisers, which makes it popular with thatchers and straw craftsmen. It is also popular with artisan bread bakers and specialist organic millers.

Problems in production

There are two wheat varieties, suitable for thatching, on the current National List of Permitted Varieties (EU legislation policed by DEFRA) - Maris Widgeon and Maris Huntsman. Until 2008/9 the only commercial seed distributor for Maris Widgeon was Pickards Seeds, of Burrington,

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

. Other traditional varieties have become unlisted which means that they cannot be bought, sold or even given away. At one time, no option existed but to grow Maris Widgeon from kept seed. Maris Widgeon is currently commercially available from various outlets, such as Pearce Seeds of

Yeovil Yeovil ( ) is a town and civil parish in the district of South Somerset, England. The population of Yeovil at the last census (2011) was 45,784. More recent estimates show a population of 48,564. It is close to Somerset's southern border with ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, for commercial or organic farming. Pearce Seeds are responsible for 'maintaining and protecting' the Maris Widgeon heritage variety of wheat.

References

External links

Wheat: the big picture
Illustrated guide to life cycle of wheat plant {{Wheat Wheat cultivars Crop cultivars bred at the Plant Breeding Institute