Like most wild forms, also those of rye are not particularly productive and are rarely or no longer cultivated today in contrast to the cultivated forms. The seeds are smaller and difficult to remove by hand. Apart from that, it should also be possible to use wild forms such as our cultured rye: for baking dark bread and proportionately in gingerbread, as well as for distilling brandy and brewing beer.

The plants grow up to 120 cm tall and can be found in mountainous landscapes from a height of 700 m.

Secale strictum subsp. strictum is assumed to be the original form of today’s rye. Secale montanum is sometimes used as a synonym for Secale strictum, but it can be assumed that it is indeed a hybrid of Secale strictum × Secale cereale.

African wild rye (Secale strictum subsp. africaum) occurs wild only in a very small area in South Africa and is considered critically endangered.

Secale strictum subsp. kuprijanovii (or also S. kuprijanovii) occurs in the Near East region in Georgia and Armenia. The seeds are small but numerous.

• Edible Seeds
• Type of Fruit Caryopsis
• Culinary Group Cereals
• Taste neutral
• Trivial Names Wild-Roggen, Berg-Roggen, Stauden-Roggen, Wild rye, Mountain rye, Seigle des montagnes
• Size 12 cm
• Taxonomy Poaceae (grass family) Secale strictum: Secale strictum subsp. strictum, subsp. africanum, subsp. kuprijanovii
• Origin (subsp. africanum) South-Africa (Map)
• Origin (subsp. kuprijanovii) Near East (Map)
• Origin (subsp. strictum) Mediterraneum, Near East (Map)
• Locality Archäologie und Archäobotanik Afrikas, Goethe-Universität 2015