Bullrush

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Bullrush
• broadleaf cumbungi
• lesser reed-mace
• Oriental Cattail
• broad-leaved cumbungi
• cumbungi
• eastern bullrush
• eastern bulrush
• oriental bulrush
• raupō
• broadleaf cumbungi (bulrush)

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Typha angustifolia subsp. muelleri
• Typha shuttleworthii subsp. orientalis
• Typha orientalis var. brunnea
• Typha muelleri
• Typha latifolia var. orientalis
• Typha japonica

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and is classified within the phylum Streptophyta and the class Equisetopsida. Under the subclass Magnoliidae and the order Poales, it is further organized into the family Typhaceae. Finally, its taxonomic identity is defined by the genus Typha.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a broad geographical distribution across several key regions in East Asia. In the Russian Far East, it can be found growing in both Primorye and Sakhalin. Its range extends significantly into China, where it is documented in the South-Central areas. Furthermore, the species is present in the northern Chinese territories of Inner Mongolia and Manchuria. These diverse locations highlight the wide environmental adaptability of the species.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Typha orientalis is characterized by its specialized adaptation to wetland environments, specifically thriving within habitats such as swamps and areas containing brackish water. This species occupies a distinct altitudinal niche, maintaining an elevational range that begins at 2,170 m AMSL and extends up to a maximum of 2,700 m AMSL.

Elevational range max:

2700 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

2170 m AMSL

Habitat :

brackish water, swamps

Life history

The life history of Typha orientalis is characterized by its status as a perennial species, allowing it to persist across multiple growing seasons through robust underground structures. It functions as a helophyte, a life form typical of emergent aquatic plants that possesses both aquatic and terrestrial components, specifically utilizing a cryptophyte strategy where the perennating buds are protected below the substrate surface. This plant exhibits a deciduous nature, shedding its above-ground foliage during unfavorable seasonal conditions before regenerating from its stored energy reserves.

Deciduousness :

deciduous

Life form :

helophyte

Life form :

cryptophyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Typha orientalis is characterized by its growth form as a non-woody herb. This plant is primarily terrestrial in its habit, functioning as an independent organism rather than a parasite or an epiphyte. In terms of structural support, it is a self-supporting species, lacking the climbing tendencies of a liana or vine. The plant exhibits significant variation in stature, with a height ranging from a minimum of 1 m to a maximum of 4.5 m, maintaining an average plant height of approximately 1.825 m.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

4.5 m

Plant height mean:

1.825 m

Plant height min:

1 m

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Typha orientalis is characterized by specific morphological dimensions and metabolic strategies that define its growth habit. The plant utilizes a C3 photosynthetic pathway to convert light energy into chemical energy. Its foliage exhibits significant variability in size, with leaf lengths ranging from a minimum of 40 cm to a mean of 55 cm, reaching a maximum potential length of 200 cm. The leaf width is similarly variable, measuring between a minimum of 0.4 cm and a maximum of 3 cm, with an average width of approximately 1.825 cm. Furthermore, regarding its nutrient acquisition processes, the plant does not function as a nitrogen fixer.

Leaf length max:

200 cm

Leaf length mean:

55 cm

Leaf length min:

40 cm

Leaf width max:

3 cm

Leaf width mean:

1.825 cm

Leaf width min:

0.4 cm

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Typha orientalis involves both sexual and asexual mechanisms, with asexual reproduction being notably present. Sexually, the plant is monoecious, producing flowers that follow a biotic pollination syndrome, specifically utilizing insects for the transfer of pollen. The flowering period typically occurs during the summer months, beginning in June and concluding in July. The resulting fruit is characterized by its dry nature, with an average length of 0.1 cm and an average width of 0.5 cm. The seeds produced are minute, with a consistent mean length of 1 mm and a mean width of 0.4 mm, resulting in a stable seed volume of 0.065 mm³. These seeds exhibit a mean mass of 0.000195 g, ranging from a minimum of 0.00014 g to a maximum of 0.00024 g. For the distribution of offspring, the plant employs an anemochorous dispersal syndrome, relying on the wind to carry its lightweight seeds to new locations.

Dispersal syndrome :

anemochorous

Flowering time :

Jun

Flowering time :

Jul

Fruit dryness :

dry

Fruit length mean:

0.1 cm

Fruit width mean:

0.5 cm

Pollination syndrome :

insect

Pollination syndrome :

biotic

Reproduction asexual :

present

Reproduction sexual :

monoecious

Seed length mean:

1 mm

Seed mass max:

0.00024 g

Seed mass mean:

0.000195 g

Seed mass min:

0.00014 g

Seed volume max:

0.065 mm³

Seed width mean:

0.4 mm

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Chemicals

Typha orientalis has 2 reported phytochemicals identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Vanillic acid, p-Hydroxybenzoic acid.

Vanillic acid

1. Biomedical chromatography : BMC

p-Hydroxybenzoic acid

1. Biomedical chromatography : BMC