Typha
A genus of wetland plants with diverse edible and industrial uses.
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The genus name Typha is an ancient Greek name for the plant, possibly related to typhos meaning "marsh".[1] The genus Typha, which belongs to the family Typhaceae, consists of monocotyledonous flowering plants, with approximately 30 species recognized.[2] These perennial herbs, which are either aquatic or semiaquatic, spread through rhizomes and typically attain heights between 0.8 and 2.4 meters.[3]
Scientific classification
- CladeTracheophytes
- CladeAngiosperms
- CladeMonocots
- CladeCommelinids
- OrderPoales
- FamilyTyphaceae
- GenusTypha
Named by L.
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Typha (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Quick Facts
- Field
- Botany
- Species count
- about 30
- Height range
- 0.8–2.4 m (2+1⁄2–8 ft)
- Oldest fossil
- 69 million years ago in modern Central Europe
Facts from the source article.
Biology and range
Buried seeds can survive in soil for a long time and germinate best with sunlight and fluctuating temperatures.[4] At the stem's apex, male flowers are arranged as a slender spike; each such flower is composed solely of two stamens and some hairs, and it dies back after releasing its pollen.[5] Below the male spike, female flowers create a compact, sausage-shaped cluster that can measure up to 30 cm in length and between 1 and 4 cm in thickness.[5] The foliage consists of elongated, slender, hairless, linear leaves that are primarily basal and emerge from a stem lacking joints.[3]
When wet mud is freshly exposed, Typha species are frequently the initial wetland plants to establish there, aided by their numerous seeds that are dispersed by wind.[4] Through rhizomatous growth, these plants also propagate, resulting in large, connected colonies.[4] Various Typha species have specific preferences regarding the depth of water they inhabit.[6] In numerous wetland environments, Typha species are strong competitors for dominance and frequently suppress other vegetation by forming a thick canopy.[7]
What the specialist sources record
The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network notes that Typha orientalis has leaf sheaths often over 300 mm long and leaves 1–3 m long, 10–30 mm in diameter.[8] The same source states that Typha latifolia differs from T. orientalis by its wider, flat, pale greyish-green leaves and very dark brown to black erect flower spikes.[8] The NParks account for Typha angustifolia describes it as an emergent aquatic plant up to 2 m tall with linear, erect leaves and brown, rod-shaped inflorescences.[9] That account also reports that T. angustifolia naturally hybridises with T. latifolia as Typha × glauca.[9]
The Global Invasive Species Database records that treating Typha with herbicides when flowering causes the greatest stress.[10] GBIF holds 773,779 occurrence records for the genus Typha as of October 2026.[11] The World Register of Marine Species lists Typha as a freshwater genus in the family Typhaceae, order Poales.[12]
References
- Wikipedia, "Typha" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Typha angustifolia", NParks (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Typha" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Streeter D, Hart-Davies C, Hardcastle A, Cole F, Harper L. 2009. Collins Flower Guide. Harper Collins; Clegg, J. (1986). Observer's Book of Pond Life. Frederick Warne, London. 460 p.; ; "Typha orientalis", New Zealand Plant Conservation Network (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Typha" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Stace, "New Flora of the British Isles", Cambridge University Press, 2010, p. 925; Harrington, "Western Edible Wild Plants", University of New Mexico Press, 1972, p. 9-14; Harrington, "Western Edible Wild Plants", University of New Mexico Press, 1972, p. 9-14 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Typha" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: van der Valk, A. G., and Davis, C. B. (1976). The seed banks of prairie glacial marshes. Canadian Journal of Botany 54, 1832–8.; Shipley, B., et al. (1989). Regeneration and establishment strategies of emergent macrophytes. Journal of Ecology 77, 1093–1110. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Typha" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Harrington, "Western Edible Wild Plants", University of New Mexico Press, 1972, p. 9-14 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Typha" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Grace, J. B. and Wetzel, R. G. (1981). Habitat partitioning and competitive displacement in cattails (Typha): experimental field studies. The American Naturalis (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Typha" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Keddy, "Wetland Ecology: Principals and Conservation", Cambridge University Press, 2010, p. 497 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Typha orientalis", New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. facts only, no text reused. nzpcn.org.nz
- "Typha angustifolia", NParks. facts only, no text reused. nparks.gov.sg
- Global Invasive Species Database: "Uses"- Retrieved 2017-03-20. facts only, no text reused. iucngisd.org
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence index, Typha (taxon key 2702102). CC BY 4.0 (backbone); counts are facts. gbif.org
- World Register of Marine Species, Typha (AphiaID 1415752). CC BY 4.0. marinespecies.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Typha (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Typha (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the , each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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