Broadleaf Cumbungi (Typha orientalis)

Family: Typhaceae | Edibility: Choice Edible (4/5)

Typha orientalis is a PERENNIAL growing to 3 m (9ft 10in) at a fast rate. It is in flower from May to August, and the seeds ripen from June to September. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and is pollinated by Wind. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Nuts/Seeds, Leaves, Shoots, Roots/Tubers, Flowers, Pollen

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

sweet syrup. — Roots - raw or cooked.; They are usually peeled before use.; The roots can be boiled and eaten like potatoes or macerated and then boiled to yield a sweet syrup.; They can also be dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickener in soups etc or added to cereal flours.

Habitat & North American Range

Ponds and riversides in lowland areas all over Japan. In lakes, ponds, channels, swamps and slowly-moving rivers in northern China. (Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8)