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Typhaceae
Raupo Flower
Typha orientalis
Abundance of the wetlands and resourcefulness.
- Family
- Typhaceae
- Genus
- Typha
- Native to
- New Zealand, Australia, Southeast Asia
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Type
- aquatic perennial
- Height
- 150–300 cm
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- wet, muddy, waterlogged
- Water
- very high; grows in standing water
- Hardiness
- 5–11
- Lifespan
- long-lived perennial
Did you know
- Raupo is the Maori name for bulrush — nearly every part of the plant was used by Maori communities.
- The fluffy seed heads can contain up to 200,000 seeds, each carried by wind on tiny parachutes.
- Maori used the pollen as a flour substitute to make bread cakes during food shortages.
- Raupo leaves were traditionally woven into walls, roofs, and sleeping mats for Maori dwellings.
- A single raupo stand can filter and purify thousands of liters of water daily, making it valuable for wetland restoration.
Color meanings
Brown
practical bounty from the marshes