Plants
Rushes, Sedges & Mat Rushes
Sighting 4372677

Typha sp.

Cumbungi at Gungahlin, ACT

Typha sp. at Gungahlin, ACT - 18 Feb 2021 12:16 PM
Typha sp. at Gungahlin, ACT - 18 Feb 2021 12:16 PM
Typha sp. at Gungahlin, ACT - 18 Feb 2021 12:16 PM
Typha sp. at Gungahlin, ACT - 18 Feb 2021 12:16 PM
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Identification history

Typha sp. 22 Feb 2021 MichaelBedingfield
Typha sp. 21 Feb 2021 MichaelBedingfield
Vallisneria australis 20 Feb 2021 TrishGungahlin

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User's notes

There are a few 'islands' composed of this weed in Yerrabi Pond which seems to form a solid surface for birds to sit and sleep on. They have appeared since the heavy rain a few weeks ago. Is it ribbon weed?

7 comments

JaneR wrote:
   21 Feb 2021
Water plants often have the name 'weed' like this one, ribbon weed, when in fact they are native plants and not a weed in the sense that we usually use the word.

the photograph of the plant is not really good enough to do an ID on, but the strappy nature of the leaves is pretty distinctive when the photograph is magnified, so the identification for Vallisneria australis is accepted.

These 'islands' are possibly - just possibly - subsurface mounds where the plant is growing. This will become evident if water level falls a bit. These plants will not survive out of water, so the leaves will die off completely if exposed. (and re-grow under right conditions)
JaneR wrote:
   21 Feb 2021
Another thought: the islands could be accumulations of broken-off leaves:. Waves, such as caused by high winds, can break off the long leaves; which then get rolled together in the water, and dumped: strandlines of dead leaves often on down-wind shores of Lake BG. If these islands are broken-off leaves, then they will decompose, pretty quickly, but lots of insects.
MichaelBedingfield wrote:
   21 Feb 2021
Sometimes the rangers trim Typha growth on the edges of the lakes. Perhaps this the left over debris of such an activity. The leaves look unusually clean for Vallisneria australis, which often accumulates underwater muck.
JaneR wrote:
   21 Feb 2021
I wasn't aware of the Rangers' activities.
The leaves don't look stiff enough for Typha, but its true that they are free of an epiphyte load (or 'muck'). A close up photo would be a help.
Michael, if you are confident that this is cut Typha leaves, then it needs to be changed: otherwise, maybe it should be changed to 'inconclusive' ?
MichaelBedingfield wrote:
   21 Feb 2021
Jane, I've done an "Undo" of your confirmation. We'll see what Michael M thinks.
MichaelBedingfield wrote:
   22 Feb 2021
I am able to view a close up of the original photos. After careful thought I feel confident this is Typha sp.
JaneR wrote:
   22 Feb 2021
Good, nice to have confidence and resolution.

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Location information

Sighting information

Additional information

  • 1 metre to 5 metres Plant height

Species information

  • Typha sp. Scientific name
  • Cumbungi Common name
  • Not Sensitive
  • Local native
  • Non-invasive or negligible
  • Up to 1448.56m Recorded at altitude
  • Machine learning

  • Ngunnawal language

    Gummiuk

Record quality

  • Images or audio
  • More than one media file
  • Verified by an expert moderator
  • Nearby sighting(s) of same species
  • GPS evidence of location
  • Description
  • Additional attributes
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