Typhaceae

Lesser bulrush

Typha angustifolia L.

Family: Typhaceae
Genus: Typha

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Lesser bulrush (Typha angustifolia) — FlowerPhoto: Eric Schmidt, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (46)

ace: Bak dah
Armenian: Կերոն նեղատերև
arz: تيفا انجستيفوليا
Basque: Lezka hostoestu
Belarusian: Рагоз вузкалісты, Пухоўка, Пухоўка вузкалістая, Топкая пухоўка, Філаціка
bua: Намаагай ургамал
Bulgarian: Теснолистен папур
Cantonese: 水燭
Catalan: Boga de fulla estreta, Massette à Feuilles Étroites
Chinese: 水烛, 水燭, 狭叶香蒲, 小白薇, 水烛香蒲, 水蜡烛, 短序香蒲, 蒲草
Corsican: Burra cascistretta
Croatian: Uskolisni rogoz
cv: Ансăр çулçăллă чакан
Czech: Orobinec úzkolistý
Danish: Smalbladet Dunhammer
dsb: Mjeńša rogož
Dutch: Kleine lisdodde, Kleine rietsigaar, Kleine × Grote lisdodde
English: Lesser bulrush, Narrowleaf cattail
Estonian: Ahtalehine hundinui
Finnish: Kapeaosmankäämi, Kapealehtiosmankäämi
French: Massette à feuilles étroites
German: Schmalblättriger Rohrkolben, Massette à Feuilles Étroites
Gujarati: ઘાબાજરીયુ
gv: Bossan
Hebrew: סוף צר-עלים
hsb: Wuska rohodź
Indonesian: Lembang, Ampet, Embet
Japanese: ホソバヒメガマ
Latvian: Šaurlapu vilkvālīte
Lithuanian: Siauralapis švendras, Massette à Feuilles Étroites
Malagasy: Vondrona
Norwegian Bokmål: Smalt dunkjevle, Smal dunkjevle
Norwegian Nynorsk: Smalt dunkjevle, Smal dunkjevle
Persian: کرفو
Polish: Pałka wąskolistna, Rogożka
Romanian: Papură
Russian: Рогоз узколистный
Serbian: Uskolisni rogoz
Slovak: Pálka úzkolistá
Spanish: Totora, Aenea, Albardines, Anea, Anea basta, Aneas, Bayunco, Bayón
Swedish: Smalkaveldun, Massette à Feuilles Étroites, Tyhpa angustifolia
Tamil: சம்பு, கண்பு, சண்பு
Thai: ธูปฤๅษี, กกช้าง, กกธูป, ปรือ, หญ้าสลาบหลวง, เฟื้อ
Ukrainian: Рогіз вузьколистий
Welsh: Cynffon-y-gath gulddail
Western Frisian: Lytse Tuorrebout

Synonyms

Massula angustifolia (L.) Dulac
Typha angustifolia f. foveolata (Pobed.) Mavrodiev
Typha angustifolia f. submersa Glück
Typha angustifolia var. calumetensis Peattie
Typha angustifolia var. elatior (Boenn.) Nyman
Typha angustifolia var. elatior (Boenn.) Godr.
Typha angustifolia var. elongata Wiegand
Typha angustifolia var. inaequalis Kronf.
Typha angustifolia var. longispicata Peck
Typha elatior Boenn.
Typha foveolata Pobed.
Typha glauca Seg.-Vianna
Typha gracilis Rchb.
Typha latifolia var. minor Ambrosi
Typha media C.C.Gmel.
Typha minor Curtis
Typha pontica Klokov f. & Krasnova

Flowers

In flower: June to July (from 328 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)
Flower colour: green (USDA PLANTS Database)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Canada: native, Lower 48 states: introduced, Lower 48 states: native

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Eric Schmidt, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: 葉子, CC0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: chiuluan, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Dave Behm, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Sam Turner, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Tom Erler, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Jacek Pietruszewski, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: stinger, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Alan Prather, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: Tom Field, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

More in Typha

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.