Bulrush

Typha latifolia

SIZE AND DESCRIPTION

Stout perennial to 2.5m tall, with a long, branched rhizome. Stems are erect and robust, with long linear leaves arising from a sheathed base. Flowers are numerous and tiny, crowded into a dense elongated cluster. Fruits are small, dry, cylindrical and stalked. Also called Asparagus of the Cossacks, Marsh Pestle and Great Reedmace.

DISTRIBUTION

Common at the edges of water bodies in much of Europe; rare in the far north.

USES

The rhizome, best collected in winter, can be eaten raw or cooked like potatoes, chopped and boiled for a syrup, or dried and ground for thickening stews and soups. Young vegetative shoots may be steamed like asparagus or stir-fried, immature flower shoots boiled or grilled with butter. Said to be astringent and anticoagulant; uses include dressings for minor cuts and burns.