Practical
Plants

Scirpus validus

River Club-Rush

a perennial member of the Scirpus genus in the family Cyperaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Scirpus
Life cycle
perennial
Height
1.5 m
Fertility
Wind
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Root - raw or cooked[2][3][4][6]. Rich in starch. The root contains a meagre amount of starch[8]. The sweet roots are eaten raw in mid summer[11]. The bruised young roots, when boiled in water, furnish a sweet syrup[6]. Young shoots - cooked[13][14][15][6]. The tender base of the stem is eaten raw in salads[6][11]. The pollen is used in soups or mixed with flour and used in making bread[5][6]. It is rich in protein. Seed[14][15][2][6]. No further details are given but it is probably ground into a powder and used in making bread etc. The seed is 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.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The root is astringent and diuretic[1]. The stem pith is haemostatic[11]. A poultice of the stem pith has been placed under a dressing in order to stop wounds bleeding[11].

Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Haemostatic

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The stems are used in weaving and basket making[7][11]. They are used to make good quality mats for use on the floor, for sleeping on and for making temporary partitions[11]. The stems are pulled off the plant rather than cut to ensure the maximum length of stem[11].

Product or use
Basketry
Product or use
Weaving

Environment

Range
N. America - all areas except the extreme north.
Habitat
Shallow water[12][14]. Ponds and swamps[10].
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

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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[9]. 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

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Succeeds in any wet to moisture retentive ground, pond margins and shallow water in full sun or shade[9].

References

  1. Lassak. E. V. and McCarthy. T. Australian Medicinal Plants.

    ↩

  2. McPherson. A. and S. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-253-28925-4

    ↩1↩2

  3. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

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  4. Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.

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  5. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

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  6. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  7. Bell. L. A. Plant Fibres for Papermaking. Liliaceae Press 1988-00-00

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  8. Low. T. Wild Food Plants of Australia. Angus and Robertson. 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-207-14383-8

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  9. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2

  10. Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5

    ↩

  11. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7

  12. Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00

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  13. Harris. B. C. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health 1973-00-00

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  14. Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982-00-00 ISBN 0442222009

    ↩1↩2↩3

  15. Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967-00-00 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9

    ↩1↩2

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