Tule
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| iTule | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Schoenoplectus acutus var. occidentalis
|
||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||
| Schoenoplectus acutus (Muhl. ex Bigelow) A.& D.Löve |
The Tule (Schoenoplectus acutus, syn. Scirpus acutus, Schoenoplectus lacustris subsp. acutus), also known as the common tule, hardstem tule, tule rush, hardstem bulrush, or viscid bulrush, is a species of sedge in the plant family Cyperaceae, native to freshwater marshes all over North America. The word derives from the indigenous Mexican word tullin (Nahuatl=bulrush), and 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. It is generally pronounced "too-lee". It is so common in wetlands in California that several places in the state were named for it, including Tulare (a tulare is a tule marsh). The tule fog in California is also named for it. Tule Lake, California was the infamous segregation camp for Japanese-Americans during WWII, housing 18,700 people at its peak.
It has a thick, rounded green stem growing to 1-3 m tall, with long, grasslike leaves, and radially symmetrical, clustered pale brownish flowers. Tules at shorelines play an important ecological role, helping to buffer against wind and water forces, thereby allowing the establishment of other types of plants and reducing erosion. Tules are sometimes cleared from waterways using herbicides. When erosion occurs, tule rhizomes are replanted in strategic areas.
There are two varieties:
- Schoenoplectus acutus var. acutus. Northern and eastern North America.
- Schoenoplectus acutus var. occidentalis. Southwestern North America.
Tules were, and still are, used to make baskets, bowls, mats, hats, clothing, duck decoys, and even boats by Native American groups. They are dyed and woven.
