Typha orientalis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Typha orientalis
Leaves and flower spikes of Typha orientalis
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Genus:	Typha
Species:	orientalis
Synonyms
Typha japonica Miq. Typha latifolia var. orientalis (C. Presl) Rohrb. Typha muelleri Rohrb. Typha orientalis var. brunnea Skvortsov in Baranov & Skvortsov Typha shuttleworthii subsp. orientalis (C. Presl) Graebn. Typha shuttleworthii var. orientalis (C. Presl) Rohrb.

Typha orientalis, commonly known as bulrush or cumbungi, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the genus Typha. It is native to Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, China and the Russian Far East (Sakhalin and Primorye).

T. orientalis is a wetland plant that grows on the edges of ponds, lakes and slow flowing rivers and streams.

Use

Known as raupō in New Zealand, the plant was quite useful to Māori. The rhizomes were cooked and eaten, while the flowers were baked into cakes. The leaves were used for roofs and walls and occasionally for canoe sails, as well as a material for making kites. Māori introduced the plant to the Chatham Islands.

A traditional Māori whare (house)