''Typha orientalis'', commonly known as bulrush, cumbungi, or raupō, is a

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...

plant in the

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

Typha ''Typha'' is a genus of about 30 species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Typhaceae. These plants have a variety of common names, in British English as bulrushStreeter D, Hart-Davies C, Hardcastle A, Cole F, Harper L. 2009. ' ...

''. It is native to Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, China and the

Russian Far East The Russian Far East ( rus, Дальний Восток России, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in North Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asia, Asian continent, and is coextensive with the Far Easte ...

(

Sakhalin Sakhalin ( rus, Сахали́н, p=səxɐˈlʲin) is an island in Northeast Asia. Its north coast lies off the southeastern coast of Khabarovsk Krai in Russia, while its southern tip lies north of the Japanese island of Hokkaido. An islan ...

and Primorye). ''T. orientalis'' is a wetland plant that grows on the edges of ponds, lakes, salt marshes, and slow flowing rivers and streams.

Description

''Typha orientalis'' is a perennial herb which grows up to in height and has a

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and Shoot (botany), shoots from its Node (botany), nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from ...

of up to in diameter. The long, sausage-like flower spikes are between in length.

Taxonomy

The species was first described by

Carl Borivoj Presl Carl Borivoj Presl (; 17 February 1794 – 2 October 1852) was a Czech botanist. Biography Presl lived his entire life in Prague, and was a professor of botany at the University of Prague (1833–52).East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

. The plant's Māori name, raupō, is a word used in different

Polynesian languages The Polynesian languages form a genealogical group of languages, itself part of the Oceanic branch of the Austronesian family. There are 38 Polynesian languages, representing 7 percent of the 522 Oceanic languages, and 3 percent of the Austr ...

to describe bulrushes.

Distribution

The species is found across East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The plant is introduced to the

Chatham Islands The Chatham Islands ( ; Moriori language, Moriori: , 'Misty Sun'; ) are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about east of New Zealand's South Island, administered as part of New Zealand, and consisting of about 10 islands within an approxima ...

of New Zealand, where Māori introduced the plant prior to European settlement.

Uses

Known as raupō in New Zealand, the plant was quite useful to Māori. The

s were cooked and eaten, while the pollen was collected and baked into cakes known as pungapunga. The leaves were used for roofs and walls and occasionally for

canoe A canoe is a lightweight, narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles. In British English, the term ' ...

sails, as well as a material for making

kite A kite is a tethered heavier than air flight, heavier-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create Lift (force), lift and Drag (physics), drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. Kites often have ...

s. Many of the first shelters constructed for European settlers in the 19th century were made from raupō.

Gallery

Typha orientalis 509946281.jpg, ''Typha orientalis'' typically grows in wetlands, such as in the Brooklands Lagoon along the Styx River in Christchurch, New Zealand Typha orientalis 485048309.jpg, Leaves of ''Typha orientalis'' Typha orientalis flowerhead10 NT - Flickr - Macleay Grass Man.jpg, Flower head after bursting open to disperse seeds Typha orientalis seeds.JPG, Seeds Young cattails.jpg, Pickled ''Typha orientalis'' rhizome sold in China

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3546132 orientalis Inflorescence vegetables Root vegetables Flora of Malesia Flora of Australia Flora of China Flora of Korea Flora of Mongolia Flora of Myanmar Flora of New Zealand Flora of Russia Flora of the Kermadec Islands Taxa named by Carl Borivoj Presl Plants described in 1851