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Typha elephantina Roxb.

Elephant grass (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Poales > Typhaceae > Typha

Characteristics

Stems 2-2.5 m tall, stout. Leaves 1.3-1.5 m × 8-10 mm, abaxially carinate, transverse section triangular. Male part of spikes with 1 bract at base, axis densely brown hairy; female part of spikes distinctly separated from male part, 14-16 cm, 2-2.5 cm in diam. Female flowers with bracteoles; bracteoles whitish, linear; ovary lanceolate; stalk ca. 3.5 mm; styles 1-2 mm; stigmas lanceolate, ca. 1 mm; hairs on stalk shorter than style. Fl. and fr. Jun-Sep.
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A herb. It is a reed like plant. It keeps growing from year to year. It is 1.5-4 m tall. The leaves are narrow. The leaf sheath is angular and keeled. The leaf blade is 25-40 mm wide. The male and female parts of the flower are separate.
A herb
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention
Sexuality monoecy
Pollination anemogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 2.25 - 2.75
Root system rhizome
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

A tropical plant. It grows on the Deccan in India. It grows on the edge of water. It grows in the Sahara and the Sahel. It can grow in salty soils. It can grow in arid places.
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Growing on the edge of permanent water and invading bare or cultivated land.
Riverside thickets. Swamps and riversides.
Light 4-9
Soil humidity 4-12
Soil texture 1-6
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

The young shoots are eaten. The starchy rhizome is eaten. The pollen is eaten. It is used for a kind of bread.
Uses environmental use fiber food fuel gene source material medicinal
Edible flowers leaves rhizomes roots seeds shoots stems
Therapeutic use Ulcer (fruit), Wounds and injuries (fruit), Astringents (rhizome), Diuretics (rhizome), Dysentery (rhizome), Astringents (stem), Diuretics (stem), Dysentery (stem), Gonorrhea (stem), Measles (stem), Diuretic (unspecified), Gonorrhea (unspecified), Wound (unspecified), Dysentery (unspecified), Sore (unspecified), Astringent (unspecified), Measles (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Typha elephantina unspecified picture

Distribution

Typha elephantina world distribution map, present in Bangladesh, China, Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Libya, Myanmar, Mauritania, Nepal, Pakistan, Palau, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Chad, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Yemen

Conservation status

Typha elephantina threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:836843-1
WFO ID wfo-0000595006
COL ID 59V62
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Typha elephantina Typha maresii Typha schimperi Typha elephantina var. schimperi Typha latifolia subsp. maresii
WorldFloraDB 2024