Common Name:

General Information

Typha elephantina is a herbaceous perennial plant growing from a vigorous, rhizomatous rootstock. The plant forms a large clump of erect, unbranched stems 150 - 400cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.
No major threats to this species have been reported and global population trends have not been studied. However, its known distribution covers a wide geographic range and the plant can colonize a wide variety of wetland habitats. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Asia - Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China (Yunnan), Myanmar; Africa - Algeria to Egypt, Niger, Chad, Ethiopia

Habitat

Riverside thickets[]. Swamps and riversides[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	2.50 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Wind
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in sun or part shade[]. Grows in boggy pond margins or shallow water to 15cm deep[, ]. Requires a rich wet soil if it is to well[]. Tolerates moderate levels of salt[]. Prefers a pH in the range 6.5 - 7.5, tolerating 6 - 8[].
The rhizomes of the vigorous species of Typha contain around 30% - 46% starch. The core of these rhizomes can be ground into a flour. One hectare of plants would yield about 7 tonnes of flour per year. This flour would probably contain about 80 % carbohydrates and around 6% - 8% protein. Since these species occur around the world, the plants are a potential source of food for the world’s' population[].
Seedlings rapidly form clones by means of rhizomes in their first season, flower the second season, and often form very large, persistent, often monospecific stands[].
Unless restrained by some means, such as a large bottomless container, the plant will soon completely take over a site and will grow into the pond, gradually filling it in. It will often form an almost complete monoculture in boggy soil.
The dense growth provides excellent cover for water fowl[].

Edible Uses

This species has the same properties as other Typha species, but it is particularly suitable for exploitation owing to its
enormous size[]. The report does not give any other information, but the general uses of other large Typha species are as follows:-

Rhizomes - raw or cooked[]. A sweet flavour[, ]. Rich in starch, around 30 - 46%, they can be boiled and eaten like potatoes or macerated and then boiled to yield a sweet syrup[]. The rhizome can also be dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickener in soups etc or added to cereal flours. Rich in protein, this flour is used to make biscuits, bread, cakes etc[].
The rhizomes at the base of erect shoots are mostly horizontal, unbranched, up to 70 cm long and 5 - 40mm in diameter. They are starchy, firm and scaly[].
The root contains a lot of fibre[]. One way to remove this fibre is to peel lengths of the root that are about 20 - 25cm long, place them by a fire for a short while to dry and then twist and loosen the fibres when the starch of the root can be shaken out[].

Young shoots in spring - raw or cooked[]. An asparagus substitute. The inner core is eaten[]. The young shoots are cut from the underground stems in the spring when they are about 10 - 40cm long[].

Base of mature stem - raw or cooked. It is best to remove the outer part of the stem. The base of the stem where it attaches to the rhizome can be boiled or roasted like potatoes[].

Young flowering stem - raw, cooked or made into a soup. 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[]. The seeds contain about 18 - 20% oil, of which 69% is linolenic acid[]. Due to the small size of the seed this is probably not a very worthwhile crop.

Pollen - raw or cooked. A protein rich additive to flour used in making bread, porridge etc[, ]. It can also be eaten with the young flowers, which makes it considerably easier to utilize. The pollen is a bright yellow or green colour, and turns pancakes, cookies or biscuits a pretty yellow colour[].
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[]. This will help to pollinate the plant and thereby ensure that both pollen and seeds can be harvested[].

Medicinal

This species has the same properties as other Typha species, but it is particularly suitable for exploitation owing to its
enormous size[]. The report does not give any other information, but the general uses of other large Typha species are as follows:-

The leaves are diuretic[].

The pollen is astringent, desiccant, diuretic, haemostatic and vulnerary[, ]. It is used in the treatment of nose bleeds, haematemesis, haematuria, uterine bleeding, dysmenorrhoea, postpartum abdominal pain and gastralgia, scrofula and abscesses[]. It is contraindicated for pregnant women[].

The seed down is haemostatic[].

The rootstock is astringent and diuretic[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant's extensive root system makes it very good for stabilizing wet banks of rivers, lakes etc[, ].
It can be grown in water purification systems in order to remove various kinds of pollutants from the water and soil. The top growth is removed once or twice during the growing season - it can either be used as a fuel or the materials recovered from it[].

Other Uses

This species has the same properties as other Typha species, but it is particularly suitable for exploitation owing to its
enormous size[]. The report does not give any other information, but the general uses of other large Typha species are as follows:-

The stems and leaves have many uses, they make a good thatch, being used on roofs, to make walls and floor coverings[, , , , , , , ].
They can be used in weaving to make items such as mats, chairs, hats and other handicrafts[, , , , , ].
They can be used as a caulking material for barrels, boats etc[].

A fibre obtained from the leaves and stems can be used in making paper[, , , , ].
A fibre obtained from the roots can be used for making string[].

The plant produces large amounts of biomass, comparable to the most productive agricultural crops.This is a potential source of energy - it can, for example, be used for alcohol manufacture[]. On a domestic level, the stems make an excellent addition to the compost heap or can be dried and used as a source of fuel etc.

The hairs of the fruits are used as a stuffing material for pillows, mattresses, toys etc[, , ]. They have good buoyancy properties and have been used in life preservers. They also have excellent insulation properties and have been used in construction[, ].

The female flowers make an excellent tinder and can be lit from the spark of a flint[].

The pollen is highly inflammable and is used in making fireworks[].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow in a pot and stand it in 3cm of water. Pot up the young seedlings as soon as possible and, as the plants develop, increase the depth of water. Plant out in summer.
Division in spring. Very easy, harvest the young shoots when they are about 10 - 30cm tall, making sure there is at least some root attached, and plant them out into their permanent positions.