Scirpus validus creber
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Cyperaceae
- Genus
- Scirpus
- Life cycle
- perennial
- Height
- 1.5 m
- Fertility
- Wind
- Flower type
- hermaphrodite
- Pollinators
- Wind
Uses
Edible uses
Root - raw or cooked[2][3][4][6]. Rich in starch. The bruised young roots, when boiled in water, furnish a sweet syrup[6]. Young shoots - cooked[11][12][13][6]. The tender base of the stem is eaten raw in salads[6]. The pollen is used in soups or mixed with flour and used in making bread[5][6]. It is rich in protein. Seed[12][13][2][6]. No further details are given but it is probably ground into a powder and used in making bread etc. Small and rather fiddly to harvest and utilize.
- Plant part
- Leaves
- Plant part
- Pollen
- Plant part
- Root
- Plant part
- Seed
Medicinal uses
Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.
The root is astringent and diuretic[1].
- Product or use
- Astringent
- Product or use
- Diuretic
Material uses
The stems are used in weaving and basket making[7][9]. They are used to make good quality mats for use on the floor, for sleeping on and for making temporary partitions[9]. The stems are pulled off the plant rather than cut to ensure the maximum length of stem[9].
- Product or use
- Basketry
- Product or use
- Weaving
Environment
- Range
- N. America.
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- light shade
- Water
- aquatic
- Hardiness
- Zone 7+
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
Seed - sow in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in a pot standing in 3cm of water. Only just cover the seed with soil[8]. The seed usually germinates fairly quickly. Prick out the plants when large enough to handle and plant out in their permanent positions in early summer. Division in spring. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer.
Cultivation
We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain. However, judging by its native range, it is likely to succeed outdoors at least in the milder areas of the country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. This species may be no more than a synonym for Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani Succeeds in any wet to moisture retentive ground, pond margins and shallow water in full sun or shade[8].
References
Lassak. E. V. and McCarthy. T. Australian Medicinal Plants.
McPherson. A. and S. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-253-28925-4
Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169
Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Bell. L. A. Plant Fibres for Papermaking. Liliaceae Press 1988-00-00
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00
Harris. B. C. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health 1973-00-00
Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982-00-00 ISBN 0442222009
Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967-00-00 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9