Typha davidiana

(Kronf.) Hand-Mazz.

Typhaceae Edible: Flowers, Leaves, Oil, Pollen, Root, Seeds, Stem Potential hazards — see below

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Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

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Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

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Summary

Source: Wikipedia

Typha davidiana is a plant species native to China (Hebei, Henan, Jiangsu, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Xinjiang, Zhejiang). It grows in freshwater marshes and on the banks of lakes and streams.

Description

A herb. The stems are 1 m tall. The leaves are 60-70 cm long by 3-5 mm wide. They are curved. The male part of the spike is 12-18 cm long. The female part of the spike is separated from the male. It is 5-11 cm long by 1-2 cm wide.

Edible Uses

Roots can be eaten raw or cooked — boiled like potatoes or macerated and boiled to produce a sweet syrup. They can also be dried, ground into a protein-rich powder and used as a soup thickener or mixed into cereal flours to make biscuits, cakes and bread. Young spring shoots are eaten raw or cooked as an asparagus substitute. The base of the mature stem is eaten raw or cooked with the outer layer removed. The young flowering stem can be eaten raw, cooked or made into soup and has a sweet corn flavour. Seeds are cooked; small and fiddly to harvest, they have a pleasant nutty taste when roasted. An edible oil is obtained from the seed, though the small seed size makes this an impractical crop. Pollen is a protein-rich addition to flour for bread and porridge, and is easier to use when eaten together with the young flowers. To harvest, hold the flowering stem over a wide shallow container and gently tap and brush off the pollen — this also aids pollination and helps ensure both pollen and seeds can be collected.

Medicinal Uses

The pollen is diuretic, emmenagogue and haemostatic. Dried pollen is considered anticoagulant, but when roasted with charcoal it becomes haemostatic. Internally, it is used to treat kidney stones, haemorrhage, painful menstruation, abnormal uterine bleeding, post-partum pains, abscesses and cancer of the lymphatic system. It should not be prescribed for pregnant women. Externally, it is used in the treatment of tapeworms, diarrhoea and injuries.

Known Hazards

Should not be prescribed for pregnant women.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. It grows on the edges of lakes and rivers.

Where It Grows

Asia, China,

Propagation

Seed — surface sow in a pot standing in 3cm of water. Pot up seedlings as soon as possible, gradually increasing the water depth as plants develop, and plant out in summer. Division in spring is very easy — harvest young shoots at 10–30cm tall with some root attached and plant directly into permanent positions.

Other Uses

Stems and leaves serve many purposes — they make good thatching, can be used in papermaking, and woven into mats, chairs, hats and other items. The plant is a useful biomass source for compost or fuel. Fruit hairs are used as stuffing for pillows, offering good insulating and buoyancy properties. The highly inflammable pollen is used in making fireworks. The plant's extensive root system is effective for stabilizing wet riverbanks and lakesides.