Biology

The bulrush is a perennial species (3), which flowers in June and July (6); the seed heads begin to break up in autumn, and the downy seeds are dispersed by the wind (5). The bulrush colonises new sites in this way, after which it spreads by vegetative reproduction (3). The flowering spikes may persist until November (1). There have been very few uses of the bulrush in Britain, however in Nevada (USA) the Paiute Indians based their whole economy on this species; the yellow pollen was used as flour, and the stems and leaves were used to make boats (4).