Typha latifolia
A widespread wetland plant with edible and practical uses.
Typha latifolia is a perennial herbaceous wetland plant in the genus Typha, known in English as bulrush or common bulrush, and in North America as broadleaf cattail. It is found as a native species throughout most of Eurasia and North America, and more locally in Africa and South America.
- Scientific name
- Typha latifolia
- Height
- 1.5 to 3 metres (5 to 10 feet)
- Leaf width
- 2–4 centimetres (3⁄4–1+1⁄2 inches)
- Water depth range
- 0.75 to 1 m (2 to 3 ft)
- Flowering period
- June to July
- Native range
- Eurasia, North America, locally in Africa and South America
Lore & Background
Typha latifolia grows 1.5 to 3 metres high with leaves 2–4 centimetres broad, typically in water depths of 0.75 to 1 metre. Its flowers form a dense cluster at the top of the main stem, with a female portion below and a tassel of male flowers above; the female and male parts are contiguous, distinguishing it from Typha angustifolia. Flowering occurs in June to July, after which the male portion falls off, leaving a brown sausage-shaped fruit head that persists through winter and breaks up in spring to release tiny seeds with hairs for wind dispersal.
Reader's Guide
It is native to all Canadian provinces and territories and all U.S. states except Hawaii, but is considered an introduced, invasive noxious weed in Australia and Hawaii, and has been reported in Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines. The species can hybridize with Typha angustifolia to form Typha × glauca, and with Typha laxmannii to form Typha × smirnovii. Its traditional uses include food (rhizomes, stems, leaf bases, young flower spikes, shoots, sprouts, and pollen) and material for weaving, such as chair seats in Greece and mats, bags, hats, and ornaments in the Philippines, where it is known as Soli-soli and celebrated in the Soli-soli Festival. The plant also serves as a bioremediator, absorbing pollutants, so specimens from polluted water should not be eaten.
Did You Know?
- It is a parent species of the natural hybrid Typha × smirnovii.
- In the Philippines, it is known as Soli-soli and used in weaving for mats, bags, hats, and ornaments.
- The plant absorbs pollutants and is used as a bioremediator.
More in Aquatic & Wetland Plants 1-17
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