About forty pounds of durum wheat (Triticum durum) from North Dakota are prepared for use in the wreath. Sometimes known as macaroni wheat, durum is also used for decorative purposes, including the Scandinavian tradition of weaving wheat-straw ornaments that is so popular in the U. S. today. The durum is substituted for the common bread wheat (Triticum aestivum). Three ears are attached to a wire pick. In order to expose more of the grain, which has a tendency to be obscured by the awns of the wheat once they are massed together, we use two ears of bearded wheat and one ear of a beardless variety for each bundle. Photograph by Barbara Bell.