Rye (Secale)

Family:

Sweet grasses (Poaceae)

Flowering period:

May to July

Distribution:

widely distributed cereal in temperate latitudes, rather undemanding and resistant, adapted to cool and dry sites as well as sandy soils, mostly hardy (winter rye) or summer annual (spring rye)

Appearance:

annual, profound roots, long stalks with up to 20cm long spikes, spikes overhanging and consisting of single spikelets with two flowers with long awns, cross-pollination required (unlike the self-fertilized cereals wheat and barley)

Allergenicity:

possesses the highest allergenic potential within the family of sweet grasses (approximately five times higher), although its pollen is larger and heavier and thus not as likely to be transported as far as other sweet grass pollen, main allergens are Sec c1 and Sec c5, cross-reaction between rye pollen and rye flour and to other cereal flour and sweet grass pollen