Plants in permanent water

A perennial with most leaves growing from the base of the plant. Leaves are long and narrow and. have a spongy texture. Leaves on the flower stalks are alternate and decrease in size towards the top of the stems. Flower stalks are purplish-brown and covered with fine hairs giving a woolly appearance. Flowers are yellow and open progressively up the spike.

Woolly Iris grows in wet areas, in drains and at the edges of dams. It is widespread and fairly common. It occasionally en¬croaches into cane fields where the ground is wet for long periods.

213. Bulrushes

Typha spp.

Erect perennials growing in permanent water with roots in the mud beneath. Leaves are in bunches below the water level, closely overlapping at the base and spreading out upwards. They are 0.6 to 3 m long and only 1.2 to 3.7 cm wide, stiff and pale green. The interior of the leaf is made up of air-filled spaces which provide buoyancy. Flower stems arise from the middle of the leaf clusters. These bear a brown cylindrical mass of small furry flowers. When ripe the very small seeds are released onto the wind to be carried away on parachutes of silky hairs.

Bulrushes are widespread throughout all districts. They are found in drains, dams, irrigation channels and the like. Also called Cumbungi or Maranda.