Typha orientalis, commonly known as bulrush, cumbungi,[ Flora of China, v 23 p 161.]
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 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 in the
Epimeliae Botanicae in 1851.
Etymology
The species epithet
orientalis refers to the species being found in
East Asia.
The plant's Māori name, raupō, is a word used in different Polynesian languages to describe bulrushes.
Distribution
The species is found across East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
The plant was introduced to the
Chatham Islands of New Zealand by Māori.
Uses
Known as raupō in New Zealand,
the plant was quite useful to Māori. The
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 sails,
as well as a material for making
.
Many of the first shelters constructed for European settlers in the 19th century were made from raupō.
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