Uses
Edible uses
Notes
Young shoots in spring - raw or cooked. An asparagus substitute. Base of mature stem - raw or cooked. It is best to remove the outer part of the stem. Young flowering stem - raw, cooked or made into a soup. It tastes like sweet corn. Seed - cooked. The seed is rather small and fiddly to utilize, but has a pleasant nutty taste when roasted. An edible oil is obtained from the seed. Due to the small size of the seed this is probably not a very worthwhile crop[K]. Pollen - raw or cooked. A protein rich additive to flour used in making bread, porridge etc[3]. It can also be eaten with the young flowers, which makes it considerably easier to utilize. The pollen can be harvested by placing the flowering stem over a wide but shallow container and then gently tapping the stem and brushing the pollen off with a fine brush[4]. This will help to pollinate the plant and thereby ensure that both pollen and seeds can be harvested[K].
Flowering stem - cooked. Tastes like sweet corn.Flowers
Leaves
Pollen
Root
Seed
Stem
Material uses
A fibre obtained from the leaves can be used for making paper[5] The leaves are harvested in summer, autumn or winter and are soaked in water for 24 hours prior to cooking. The fibres are cooked for 2 hours with soda ash and then beaten in a ball mill for 1½ hours. They make a green or brown paper[5]. The hairs of the fruits are used for stuffing pillows etc. They have good insulating and buoyancy properties and have also been used as a wound dressing and a lining for babies nappies.. The stems can be used to make rush lights. The outer skin is removed except for a small strip, or spine, running the entire length to give stability. The stem is then soaked in oil. A fibre is obtained from the blossom stem and flowers.
The pollen is highly inflammable, it is used in making fireworks etc.Ecology
Ecosystem niche/layer
Ecological Functions
Earth stabiliser
Forage
Nothing listed.
Shelter
Nothing listed.
Propagation
Practical Plants is currently lacking information on propagation instructions of Typha laxmannii. Help us fill in the blanks! Edit this page to add your knowledge.
It is growing well on my allotment in Hampshire, stony soil over chalk, and the bit of ground it is on didn't get any organic matter for several years and is fairly dry in summer but I suppose it hasn't dried out this year due to high rainfall. It is in full sun and is flowering it's heart out now; quite a pretty ground cover. ( Mid May )
Crops
Problems, pests & diseases
Associations & Interactions
There are no interactions listed for Typha laxmannii. Do you know of an interaction that should be listed here? edit this page to add it.
Polycultures & Guilds
There are no polycultures listed which include Typha laxmannii.
Descendants
Cultivars
Varieties
None listed.
Subspecies
None listed.
Full Data
This table shows all the data stored for this plant.
- Flowers (Unknown use)
- Leaves (Unknown use)
- Pollen (Unknown use)
- Root (Unknown use)
- Seed (Unknown use)
- Stem (Unknown use)
- Unknown part (Biomass)
- Unknown part (Insulation)
- Unknown part (Paper)
- Unknown part (Stuffing)
- Unknown part (Thatching)
- Unknown part (Weaving)
- Unknown part (Astringent)
- Unknown part (Styptic)
References
- ? 1.01.1 Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications ISBN 0-486-20459-6 (1972-00-00)
- ? 2.02.1 Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing (1976-00-00)
- ? 3.03.13.2 Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 (1990-00-00)
- ? 4.04.1 Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn ISBN 0-600-37216-2 (1981-00-00)
- ? 5.05.15.2 Bell. L. A. Plant Fibres for Papermaking. Liliaceae Press (1988-00-00)
- ? 6.06.1 Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. (1986-00-00)
- ? Davis. P. H. Flora of Turkey. Edinburgh University Press (1965-00-00)
- ? 8.08.18.28.3 Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press ISBN 0-333-47494-5 (1992-00-00)
- ? F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press (1951-00-00)