River Club-Rush (Scirpus validus)
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Frost limit
- −17.8 °C
Cultivation
Succeeds in any wet to moisture retentive ground, pond margins and shallow water in full sun or shade.
Propagation
Seed - sow in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in a pot standing in 3cm of water. Only just cover the seed with soil. The seed usually germinates fairly quickly. Prick out the plants when large enough to handle and plant out in their permanent positions in early summer. Division in spring. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer.
Edible uses
Root - raw or cooked. Young shoots - cooked. The pollen is used in soups or mixed with flour and used in making bread. It is rich in protein. Seed. No further details are given but it is probably ground into a powder and used in making bread etc. The seed is small and rather fiddly to harvest and utilize.
Medicinal uses
The root is astringent and diuretic. The stem pith is haemostatic.
Material uses
The stems are used in weaving and basket making.
Habitat
Shallow water.
Native range
N. America - all areas except the extreme north.