Typha angustifolia
L.
Lesser bulrush, Narrow-leaved cattail
(c) Jeremy Collison, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Jeremy Collison
(c) Станислав, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Станислав
(c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman
What to Eat
Edible parts: Rhizome, Root, Shoots, Vegetable, Flowers, Seeds
Roots can be eaten raw or cooked — boiled like potatoes or macerated and boiled to yield a sweet syrup. They can also be dried, ground into a protein-rich powder and used as a soup thickener or mixed into cereal flours to make biscuits and similar foods. Young spring shoots are eaten raw or cooked as an asparagus substitute. The base of the mature stem is eaten raw or cooked, with the outer part removed first. The young flowering stem can be eaten raw, cooked or made into soup and tastes like sweet corn. Seeds are cooked; they are small and fiddly to harvest but have a pleasant nutty flavour when roasted. An edible oil is also obtained from the seed, though given the seed's small size this is unlikely to be a worthwhile crop. Pollen is a protein-rich addition to flour for bread, porridge and similar foods, and can conveniently be eaten along with the young flowers. To harvest pollen, hold the flowering stem over a wide shallow container and gently tap and brush it free — this also helps pollinate the plant, ensuring both pollen and seeds can be collected.
Where to Find It
A temperate to tropical plant. It grows in wetlands. In Chile it grows from sea level to 2,000 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zone 9.
Africa, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Balkans, Bolivia, Bosnia, Brazil, Canada, Central Africa, Central Asia, Chile, Congo, East Africa, Ethiopia, Europe, Fiji, Georgia, Himalayas, Hungary, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mediterranean, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, North Africa, North America, Pacific, Pakistan, Paraguay, Philippines, Russia, San Marino, SE Asia, Somalia, South America, Tajikistan, Thailand, Uruguay, USA, Uzbekistan, West Africa,
How to Identify
An erect marsh plant. It keeps growing from year to year. It is slender and grows about 1.2 m high. The leaves are narrow. They are 1 cm wide. They sheath the base of the stem. The flowers are small. They are crowded into a long, brown, cylindrical spike. This is 1.3-2 cm thick. The male and female flowers are separated by a gap of about 2.5 cm.
Nutrition Score: 35/100
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stems | 88 | 300 | 72 | 1.4 | — | — | — | — |
| Leaves | 11.4 | — | — | 7 | — | — | — | — |
| Rhizome | 10 | — | — | 5.8 | — | — | — | — |
How to Grow
Experimental Crop Industrial Crop: Biomass Industrial Crop: Fiber Management: Hay Staple Crop: ProteinA very easily grown plant, it grows in boggy pond margins or in shallow water up to 15cm deep. It requires a rich soil if it is to do well. Succeeds in sun or part shade. A very invasive plant spreading freely at the roots when in a suitable site, it is not suitable for growing in small areas. Unless restrained by some means, such as a large bottomless container, the plant will soon completely take over a site and will grow into the pond, gradually filling it in. This species will often form an almost complete monoculture in boggy soil. The dense growth provides excellent cover for water fowl.
Propagation: Seed — surface sow in a pot standing in 3cm of water. Pot up seedlings as soon as possible, gradually increasing the water depth as plants grow, and plant out in summer. Division in spring is very easy — harvest young shoots at 10–30cm tall with some root attached and plant directly into permanent positions.
Medicinal Uses
The pollen is diuretic, emmenagogue and haemostatic. Dried pollen is considered anticoagulant, but when roasted with charcoal it becomes haemostatic instead. Internally, it is used to treat kidney stones, internal haemorrhage of almost any kind, painful menstruation, abnormal uterine bleeding, post-partum pains, abscesses and cancer of the lymphatic system. It should not be prescribed for pregnant women. Externally, it is used in the treatment of tapeworms, diarrhoea and injuries. An infusion of the root has been used in the treatment of gravel.
Other Uses
Stems and leaves are versatile — they make good thatching material, can be used in papermaking, and woven into mats, chairs, hats and similar items. The plant is a good source of biomass, useful as a compost addition or fuel. Fruit hairs are used as stuffing for pillows, offering good insulating and buoyancy properties. Female flowers make excellent tinder, ignitable from a flint spark, and the highly inflammable pollen is used in making fireworks. The plant's extensive root system is well suited to stabilizing wet riverbanks and lakesides.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Typha angustifolia is a perennial herbaceous plant in the genus Typha, native throughout most of Eurasia and locally in northwest Africa; it also occurs widely in North America, where its native status is disputed. It is an "obligate wetland" species that is found in fresh water or brackish locations. It is known in English as lesser bulrush, and in American as narrowleaf cattail.
Notes
There are 10-13 Typha species.
Names & Synonyms
Batro, Batru, Chihubane, Deniruve, Enea, Espadana, Herba ekor kucing berdaun sempit, Landim, Lesser reedmace, Narrow-leaved cattail, Paja de estara, Pan-kanis, Pat, Pith grass, Ram ban, Rogoz uskolisni, Shin-mwe-lon, Small bulrush, Tabebuia, Taboa, Tabouda, Totora, Tuturaco, Umaojsa, Vato, Vatros, Yah-toop
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