Common club-rush (Scirpus lacustris)
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Time to harvest
- 80–180 days
- Frost limit
- −34.4 °C
Cultivation
Succeeds in any wet to moisture retentive soil, pond margins and shallow water in full sun or shade. Plants can succeed in fairly deep water. Hardy to about -25°c. Some named forms have been selected for their ornamental value.
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 - raw or cooked. Used in spring. Seed - ground up into a powder and mixed with flour for use in making cakes etc. The seed is small and rather fiddly to harvest and utilize. Base of mature stems - raw or cooked. Somewhat tough. Pollen - raw or cooked. Rich in pollen, it is mixed with flour and used in making cakes etc.
Medicinal uses
The roots are astringent and diuretic. This plant is a traditional medicine for cancer.
Material uses
The stems are frequently used for making matting, chair bottoms etc and thatching. The pith of the stems is used in paper making.
Habitat
Bogs, shallow pond margins, rivers and lakes, usually where there is abundant silt, in acid or calcareous conditions.
Native range
Europe, incl Britain, south and east from Lapland to Africa and Asia. N. and C. America, Polynesia.