Totora
Schoenoplectus californicus tatora

Family: Cyperaceae

What it is like

Schoenoplectus californicus tatora is an evergreen Perennial growing to 2 m (6ft) by 0.3 m (1ft in) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 7. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist or wet soil and can grow in water.

Height (m): 2

Where it is found

Brackish to fresh marshes, shores, often emergent in water; at elevations from sea level to 1,400 metres in North America. Shallow water of lake shores, ranging from sea level to about 1,700 metres in Guatemala

S. America - Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador; C. America - Honduras, El Salvador to Mexico and southern N. America

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Native to the southern and western United States as well as Mexico, Central America, South America, Easter Island, and the Falkland Islands. It is naturalized on some Pacific islands including New Zealand, Hawaii and the Cook Islands.

How it is used

Food

Rating: 2

Rhizomes - cooked. Baked, or dried for later use. Stems - cooked. The lower 30cm of the stem is peeled and baked, or dried for later use.

Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.

Stem: this often intergrades into leaves.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating: 4

This subspecies totora, Schoenoplectus californicus subsp, is famous for making up the floating islands of Lake Titicaca dwell. On the mid-coast of Peru, totora has been used for over 3,000 years to build caballitos de totora - small rowed and straddled fishing vessels. The tough, soft culms are used for making mats, baskets, chair seats, houses, boats, and other objects. Carbon Farming Solutions - Industrial Crop: biomass (Crops grown for non-food uses. Industrial crops provide resources in three main categories: materials, chemicals, and energy. Traditional materials include lumber and thatch, paper and cardboard, and textiles).

Industrial Crop: Biomass: Three broad categories: bamboos, resprouting woody plants, and giant grasses. uses include: protein, materials (paper, building materials, fibers, biochar etc.), chemicals (biobased chemicals), energy - biofuels

Management: Hay: Cut to the ground and harvested annually. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.

Regional Crop: These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.

Industrial Crop: Biomass: Three broad categories: bamboos, resprouting woody plants, and giant grasses. uses include: protein, materials (paper, building materials, fibers, biochar etc.), chemicals (biobased chemicals), energy - biofuels

Management: Hay: Cut to the ground and harvested annually. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.

Regional Crop: These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.

Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.

How it is grown

Climate: tropical highlands. Humidity: aquatic. A plant of low to medium elevations in the warm temperate to tropical zones. Growing in moist and wet terrestrial habitat, and in shallow water. The root system is well-developed. Prefers waterlogged soils in full sun or part shade. Often grows at a water depth of 2.5–3m (8.2–9.8ft) but occurs less frequently as deep as 5.5m (18ft). Carbon Farming Solutions - Cultivation: regional crop. Management: hay (Describes the non-destructive management systems that are used in cultivation).

Propagating it: Seed, Division

Best place to grow:

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness: 6-10

Growth: Fast

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist, wet, water

Things to keep in mind

A possible weed.

Its other names

Local names

California bulrush, Southern bulrush, Giant bulrush, Tule, Giant bulrush sedge, Totora

Synonyms

Many but not with high confidence levels. The genus Schoenoplectus is closely related to Scirpus and sometimes included therein.