| Typha domingensis | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Typhaceae |
| Genus: | Typha |
| Species: | T. domingensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Typha domingensis | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
Typha angustataBory & Chaub. | |
Typha domingensis, known commonly as southern cattail [3] or cumbungi, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Typha .
It is found throughout temperate and tropical regions worldwide. [4] It is sometimes found as a subdominant associate in mangrove ecosystems such as the Petenes mangroves ecoregion of Yucatán. [5]
In the Mesopotamian Marshes of southern Iraq, Khirret is a dessert made from the pollen of this plant. [6] In Turkish folk medicine the female inflorescences of this plant and other Typha are used externally to treat wounds such as burns. Extracts of T. domingensis have been demonstrated to have wound healing properties in rat models. [7]
Water extracts of the fruit, female flower and male flower of Typha domingensis exhibit iron chelating activity as well as superoxide and nitric oxide scavenging activities. By contrast, only the fruit and female flower extracts were found to have alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity. [8] A partially purified, proanthocyanidin-rich butanol fraction of the fruit was shown to be a competitive inhibitor of alpha-glucosidase, which also had concurrent antioxidant activity. [9]
Recently it was found that Typha domingensis is very effective at reducing bacterial contamination of water for agricultural use. This plant helps to reduce, up to 98 percent, pollution by enterobacteria (usually found in the intestines of mammals) involved in the development of disease. [10]
 |
The Southern Cattail grows between 2.0 to 2.5 meters in length and has flat sheaths to protect its core. It thrives in marshes and ecosystems where the land has a similarity to wetlands. It can also survive in high salinity water sources, making it much more resilient than similar species to this kind of cattail. The Southern Cattail originated in the Southern United States, and transitioned its way to other ecosystems from Iran to Mexico through human intervention. In Mexico, this invasive species has proven to be beneficial to local ecosystems rather than a nuisance to it. Aside from being a filter for some of the water’s quality, the surrounding villages that dwell within the circumference of the lake benefit from both the Southern Cattail and its similar species, the Southern Bulrush, by its ability to be used in artisanal crafts and due to their wider reed sheaths which eased the weaving process. Areas where the cattail is harvested in much larger methods, such as the coastal areas of San Jeronimo and Tzintzuntzan, seem to exhibit larger than average cattail sizes, lengths, and population density. It's within these areas that at times, the amount of reproducing cattail can prove to be too much as it overruns some farm land, so its planned from the surrounding villagers to be routinely harvested and cut down to a reasonable size monthly or whenever the population rises to an overrunning size. This is especially common during the months of August and September, the rainiest months that the surrounding villages seem to experience during the last months of Summer. With such a large density, this also proves to be beneficial to the surrounding organisms which live near the lake such as the Lake Patzcuaro Garter Snake, which thrives near the cattail closest to the lake. Creating a thick shade for the snakes, they also make this an area to not only reproduce but also protect their young which can protect against other predators which surround the lake such as the hawk species such as the Red-Tailed Hawk and occasional larger snake species which also thrives within the lake. With all these benefits that it gives to the ecosystem, the largest benefit this species has provided was the reduction of the water’s pollution from external sources. When some water containing animal fecal matter was placed in the same water as the cattail species in an experiment done within the Helmholtz center in Germany with support from the National Council of Science and Technology in Mexico, it was discovered to have filtered around 98% of the bacteria found within the water. This discovery showed that this invasive species had the potential to reduce the biological impact these bacteria could have not only on the surrounding animals, but also surrounding humans which have used the lake as their main source of water for generations.
The Poales are a large order of flowering plants in the monocotyledons, and includes families of plants such as the grasses, bromeliads, and sedges. Sixteen plant families are currently recognized by botanists to be part of Poales.
Typha is a genus of about 30 species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Typhaceae. These plants have a variety of common names, in British English as bulrush or reedmace, in American English as reed, cattail, or punks, in Australia as cumbungi or bulrush, in Canada as bulrush or cattail, and in New Zealand as reed, cattail, bulrush or raupo. Other taxa of plants may be known as bulrush, including some sedges in Scirpus and related genera.
Aquatic plants are plants that have adapted to living in aquatic environments. They are also referred to as hydrophytes or macrophytes to distinguish them from algae and other microphytes. A macrophyte is a plant that grows in or near water and is either emergent, submergent, or floating. In lakes and rivers macrophytes provide cover for fish, substrate for aquatic invertebrates, produce oxygen, and act as food for some fish and wildlife.
The Typhaceae are a family of flowering plants, sometimes called the cattail family. The botanical name for the family has been recognized by most taxonomists.
Manilkara zapota, commonly known as sapodilla, sapote, chicoozapote, chicoo, chicle, naseberry, or nispero, among other names, is a long-lived, evergreen tree native to southern Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. An example natural occurrence is in coastal Yucatán in the Petenes mangroves ecoregion, where it is a subdominant plant species. It was introduced to the Philippines during Spanish colonization. It is grown in large quantities in Mexico and in tropical Asia including India, Pakistan, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh.
Typha latifolia, better known as broadleaf cattail, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the genus Typha. It is found as a native plant species in North and South America, Eurasia, and Africa.
Lake Pátzcuaro is a lake in the municipality of Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, Mexico.
Avicennia germinans, the black mangrove, is a shrub or small tree growing up to 12 meters in the acanthus family, Acanthaceae. It grows in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, on both the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts, and on the Atlantic Coast of tropical Africa, where it thrives on the sandy and muddy shores where seawater reaches. It is common throughout coastal areas of Texas and Florida, and ranges as far north as southern Louisiana and coastal Georgia in the United States.
Palo Verde National Park, is a national park of Costa Rica, part of the Arenal Tempisque Conservation Area, that contains much of the area of the valley of the Tempisque River and covers an area of 45,492 acres in Guanacaste Province, 30 km west of Canas. The surrounding region is mostly tropical dry forests, and the park concentrates on conserving vital floodplain, marshes, limestone ridges, and seasonal pools from the encroachment of civilization which was putting the ecology of the area at risk.
Typha angustifolia L. is a perennial herbaceous plant of genus Typha. This cattail is an "obligate wetland" species that is commonly found in the northern hemisphere in brackish locations.
Chebulagic acid is a benzopyran tannin and an antioxidant that has many potential uses in medicine.
Sarcolobus globosus is a twining shrub native to tropical regions of Asia including India, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar-Burma, the Philippines and Indonesia.
Rhus chinensis, the Chinese sumac or nutgall tree, is a deciduous shrub or small tree in the genus Rhus. Growing to 6 m (20 ft) tall, it has downy shoots and leaves comprising several leaflets. These turn red in autumn before falling.
Anatrachyntis simplex is a moth in the family Cosmopterigidae. It is found on Egypt, La Réunion, Gambia and the United Arab Emirates, Cyprus, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, India and China. It is recorded infrequently in the United Kingdom through accidental importation in pomegranates.
Laguna de Sayula is a lake located in the southern area of Jalisco, about 60 km from Guadalajara. It is located in the municipalities of Sayula, Zacoalco de Torres, Amacueca, Teocuitatlán de Corona, Atoyac and Techaluta de Montenegro.
Myriophyllum alterniflorum, known as alternate water-milfoil or alternateflower watermilfoil, is a species of water-milfoil. It is native to Europe and Asia,has been introduced to North America and inhabits aquatic habitat, such as ponds and streams.
The Central Mexican wetlands is a flooded grasslands and savannas ecoregion in central Mexico.
The Petenes mangroves ecoregion covers mangrove habitat along the Gulf of Mexico coast of southern Mexico, where Campeche state and Yucatan state meet, centering on the Celestun Lagoon inland from the barrier-island town of Celestún. Because the region has relatively little rainfall and no rivers feeding the lagoons, the freshwater to support the mangrove ecosystem springs from underground aquifers. The area is important for migratory birds, and as a nesting area for sea turtles. The area around the Celestun Lagoon is protected by the Ría Celestún Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
The Enriquillo wetlands are a flooded grasslands and savannas ecoregion on the island of Hispaniola. They cover about 628 km2 (242 sq mi) around several low-lying lakes in southwestern Hispaniola in both the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Common names for "rush" are usually related to a particular genus from a botanical family, for example:
