Schoenoplectus acutus
Schoenoplectus acutus | |
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Schoenoplectus acutus var. occidentalis | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Clade: | Commelinids |
Order: | Poales |
Family: | Cyperaceae |
Genus: | Schoenoplectus |
Species: | S. acutus
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Binomial name | |
Schoenoplectus acutus |
Schoenoplectus acutus (syn. Scirpus acutus, Schoenoplectus lacustris, Scirpus lacustris subsp. acutus), called tule /ˈtuːliː/, common tule, hardstem tule, tule rush, hardstem bulrush, or viscid bulrush, is a giant species of sedge in the plant family Cyperaceae, native to freshwater marshes all over North America.[1][2] The common name derives from the Nāhuatl word tōllin [ˈtoːlːin], and it was first applied by the early settlers from New Spain who recognized the marsh plants in the Central Valley of California as similar to those in the marshes around Mexico City.
Tules once lined the shores of Tulare Lake in California, formerly the largest freshwater lake in the western United States. It was drained by land speculators in the 20th century. The expression "out in the tules" is still common, deriving from the dialect of old Californian families and meaning "where no one would want to live", with a touch of irony. The phrase is comparable to "out in the boondocks".[3]
Schoenoplectus acutus has a thick, rounded green
The two
- Schoenoplectus acutus var. acutus – northern and eastern North America
- Schoenoplectus acutus var. occidentalis – southwestern North America
History and culture
Dyed and woven, tules are used to make baskets, bowls, mats, hats, clothing, duck decoys, and even boats by
The Paiutes named a neighboring tribe the Si-Te-Cah in their language, meaning tule eaters. The young sprouts and shoots can be eaten raw and the rhizomes and unripe flower heads can be boiled as vegetables.
One of the few Pomo survivors of the
It is so common in
California's dense, ground-hugging tule fog is named for the plant, as are the tule elk, tule perch, and tule goose (a subspecies of the greater white-fronted goose). The giant garter snake (Thamnophis gigas) was historically closely associated with tule marshes in California's Central Valley.
Uses
Flour can be made by peeling and cutting up the older roots, crushing and boiling them, removing any fiber, and drying.[8] The seeds can also be ground and mixed with the root flour.[8]
Notes
- ^ Munz, Philip A. (1973) [1959]. A California Flora. Berkeley, California: University of California Press.
- ^ Munz, Philip A. (1976). "Scirpus lacutris, validus, glaucus". A California Flora: Supplement. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. p. 183.
- ^ Eaton, Joe (January–March 2004). "Out in the Tules: The Freshwater Marsh of Coyote Hills". Bay Nature – via baynature.org.
- ^ Teit, James A. (1930). "The Salishan Tribes of the Western Plateaus". 45th Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution: 332.
- ISBN 9780759108721– via Google Books.
- ^ Hogan, C. Michael (2008). Andy Burnham (ed.). Morro Creek – via megalithic.co.uk.
- ^ Dadigan, Marc (18 May 2012). "Pomo Indians Remember 1850 Bloody Island Massacre With Events May 18-19". IndianCountryToday.com. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ^ OCLC 244766414.
Further reading
- Swall, Corinne; Nuyens, Louis III (2003). Tule reed boat workbook : a voyage of adventure. Kentfield, California: Mother Lode Musical Theatre, Watershed Preservation Network. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011.
External links
- Tule Boat Photo Gallery at wpn.org
- Tule reed canoe, Ohlone, launched on Lake Merced, San Francisco, at nativecc.com
- Tule reed canoe, Modoc, at NPS.gov