Edit Plant: Typha

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'''''Typha''''' is a [[genus]] of about eleven [[species]] of [[monocot]]yledonous flowering plants in the [[monogeneric]] family, Typhaceae. The genus has a largely [[Northern Hemisphere]] distribution, but is essentially [[cosmopolitan distribution|cosmopolitan]], being found in a variety of [[wetland]] habitats. These plants are known in [[British English]] as '''bulrush''', '''bullrush''' or '''reedmace''',<ref>''Collins Complete British Wildlife''</ref> in [[American English]] as '''cattail''', '''punks''', or '''[[corndog]] grass''', and in [[New Zealand]] as '''[[raupo]]'''. ''Typha'' should not be confused with other plants known as [[bulrush]], such as some [[Cyperaceae|sedges]] (mostly in ''[[Scirpus]]'' and related [[genus|genera]]). ''Typha'' leaves are alternate and mostly basal to a simple, jointless stem that eventually bears the flowering spikes. The [[rhizome]]s spread horizontally beneath the surface of muddy ground to start new upright growth, and the spread of ''Typha'' is an important part of the process of open water bodies being converted to vegetated [[marshland]] and eventually dry land. ''Typha'' plants are [[monoecious]] and bear [[unisexual]], wind-pollinated flowers, developing in dense [[raceme|spike]]s. The numerous male flowers form a narrow spike at the top of the vertical stem. Each male (staminate) flower is reduced to a pair of [[stamen]]s and hairs, and withers once the [[pollen]] is shed. The very large numbers of tiny female flowers form a dense, [[sausage]]-shaped spike on the stem below the male spike – in larger species this can be up to {{Convert|30|cm|in|sigfig=2}} long and {{Convert|1|to|4|cm|in}} thick. Seeds are minute, {{Convert|0.2|mm|in}} long, and attached to a fine hair. When ripe the heads disintegrate into dense cottony fluff, from which the seeds [[wind dispersal|disperse by wind]]. ''Typha'' is often among the first wetland plants to colonize areas of newly exposed wet mud; it also spreads by [[rhizomes]], forming dense stands often to the exclusion of other plants. {{Inc| Typha (ancient name). Typhaceae. Cat-tail. Reed Mace. Hardy perennial marsh- or swamp-growing herbs, useful in the water-garden or along brooks or the margins of ponds. Plants forming colonies, slender or stout, often tall, smooth: rhizome strong, creeping: sts. erect, simple, base often under water: radical lvs. linear-elongated, rather thick, spongy, with or without ribs; cauline lvs. few and shorter: peduncles erect, terete, strict and not divided: spadices, male and female similar, superposed: fls. monoecious, densely clustered in the cylindrical spadix; perianth consisting of slender hairs: fr. minute, subsessile. — About 17 species, temperate and tropical regions. {{SCH}} }} ==Cultivation== {{edit-cult}}<!--- Type cultivation info below this line, then delete this entire line --> ===Propagation=== {{edit-prop}}<!--- Type propagation info below this line, then delete this entire line --> ===Pests and diseases=== {{edit-pests}}<!--- Type pest/disease info below this line, then delete this entire line --> ==Species== Partial list{{wp}}: *''[[Typha angustifolia]]'' - Lesser Bulrush or Narrow Leaf Cattail *''[[Typha capensis]]'' - Cape bulrush *''[[Typha domingensis]]'' - Southern Cattail *''Typha'' ×''glauca'' (''angustifolia'' × ''latifolia'') - Hybrid or White Cattail *''[[Typha latifolia]]'' - Common Cattail *''[[Typha laxmannii]]'' - Laxman's Bulrush *''[[Typha minima]]'' - Dwarf Bulrush *''[[Typha muelleri]]'' - Raupo *''[[Typha orientalis]]'' - Raupo *''[[Typha shuttleworthii]]'' - Shuttleworth's Bulrush The most widespread species is ''Typha latifolia'', extending across the entire temperate Northern Hemisphere. ''T. angustifolia'' is nearly as widespread, but does not extend so far north. ''T. domingensis'' is a more southerly [[The Americas|American]] species, extending from the [[United States|U.S.]] to [[South America]], while ''T. laxmannii'', ''T. minima'' and ''T. shuttleworthii'' are largely restricted to [[Asia]] and parts of southern [[Europe]]{{wp}}. ==Gallery== {{photo-sources}}<!-- remove this line if there are already 3 or more photos in the gallery --> <gallery> Image:IMG 1077.JPG|''Typha'' seeds are very small, embedded in down parachutes, and very effectively wind-dispersed Image:Upload.png| photo 1 Image:Upload.png| photo 2 Image:Upload.png| photo 3 </gallery> ==References== *[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963 <!--- xxxxx *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381 --> <!--- xxxxx *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432 --> <!--- xxxxx *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608 --> ==External links== *{{wplink}} {{stub}} __NOTOC__

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