cumbungi

English

narrow-leaved cumbungi

Etymology

From Wemba-Wemba gambang.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kʌmˈbʌŋɡi/

Noun

cumbungi (plural cumbungis or cumbungi)

1. (Australia) Any of several Australian perennial herbs of the genus Typha, especially Typha domingensis and Typha orientalis. [from 19th c.]

   Synonyms: cattail, bulrush, reedmace

   • 2014 January 10, Gabrielle Chan, “Deserted beaches hide evidence of thousands of years of Aboriginal history”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     Behind the dune, native bullrush or cumbungi is still growing and was a rich resource for local aborigines. Its big rhizome provides starch used to make bread while its young shoots could be eaten fresh.

   • 2018, Bruce Pascoe, Dark Emu, Scribe, published 2020, page 56:

     Mitchell said that the cakes made from the cumbungi flour ‘were lighter and sweeter than those made from common flour’.

Derived terms

• broad-leaved cumbungi (Typha orientalis)
• narrow-leaved cumbungi (Typha domingensis)

 

Further reading

• “cumbungi”, in Collins English Dictionary.