typha latifolia
NounWordNet 3.0
Noun (1)
- tall marsh plant with cylindrical seed heads that explode when mature shedding large quantities of down; its long flat leaves are used for making mats and chair seats; of North America, Europe, Asia and North AfricaSynonyms: cat's-tailbullrushbulrushnailrodreed macereedmaceTypha latifolia
Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)
Flag \Flag\, n. [From Flag to hang loose, to bend down.] (Bot.) An aquatic plant, with long, ensiform leaves, belonging to either of the genera Iris and Acorus. [1913 Webster]
Cooper's flag, the cat-tail (Typha latifolia), the long leaves of which are placed between the staves of barrels to make the latter water-tight.
Flag broom, a coarse of broom, originally made of flags or rushes.
Flag root, the root of the sweet flag.
Sweet flag. See Calamus, n., 2. [1913 Webster]
Water torch \Wa"ter torch`\ (Bot.) The common cat-tail (Typha latifolia), the spike of which makes a good torch soaked in oil. --Dr. Prior. [1913 Webster]
Bulrush \Bul"rush`\ (b[.u]l"r[u^]sh`), n. [OE. bulrysche, bolroysche; of uncertain origin, perh. fr. bole stem + rush.] (Bot.) A kind of large rush, growing in wet land or in water. [1913 Webster]
Note: The name bulrush is applied in England especially to the cat-tail (Typha latifolia and Typha angustifolia) and to the lake club-rush (Scirpus lacustris); in America, to the Juncus effusus, and also to species of Scirpus or club-rush. [1913 Webster]
cattail \cat"tail\, Cat-tail \Cat"-tail\(k[a^]t"t[=a]l), n. (Bot.) A tall erect rush or flag (Typha latifolia) growing widely in fresh and salt marshes, with long, flat, sword-shaped leaves, having clusters of small brown flowers in a dense cylindrical spike at the top of the stem; -- called also bulrush and reed mace. The leaves are frequently used for seating chairs, making mats, etc. See Catkin. [1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5]
Note: The lesser cat-tail is Typha angustifolia. [1913 Webster]