Cattail (Plants of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque)

Cattail

Typha latifolia

Summary ⁵

Typha latifolia, commonly known as broadleaf cattail, bulrush, great reedmace, and cooper's reed, among others, is one of the most common plants that grow near marshes, wetlands, and ponds. The plant grows very fast in the right conditions and can range from 3 to 10 feet tall. The fluffy “hot dog” looking part of the plant can be eaten.

Botanical Information ⁶

Typha latifolia, or commonly known as the broad-leaved cattail, is one of the most common cattails in the US. It is a perennial plant that grows and spreads from a fleshy root system called a rhizome. The fruit of the common cattail is a one-seeded follicle with a unilateral opening that looks similar to a hotdog. The cattail flower has both male and female parts, with the male being the hotdog-shaped brown formation near top of the stem, and the female part being the densely-packed pistillate. The leaves of the plant are long, linear, parallel-veined, 1/8 to 3/4 of an inch wide, and deep green in color. The plant grows 3 to 10 feet tall and blooms May through July.

Ecological Information ⁷

Cattails grow in or near water. It grows best in moist environments such as freshwater marshes, ditches, and shorelines. Cattails help to provide critical habitat for species such as waterfowl and other birds, as well as some mammals. They are useful in helping to cleanse waters as they take up large amounts of nutrients from water and sediment.

Ethnobotanical Information ⁸

All parts of the cattail can be used for food, building material, or medicine. You can eat the fuzzy part that looks like a hotdog. Edible uses include eating the lower parts of the leaves in a salad, boiling or eating the young stems raw, collecting the pollen to include in a protein-rich pancake batter, and roasting the young flowers. You can find many good cattail recipes online. Cattail has many medicinal uses as well. The roots have been made into a poultice and applied to cuts, wounds, burns, stings, and bruises. The ash of the burned cattail leaves as well as the honey-like excretion found near the base of the plant is known to have antiseptic properties for treating wounds. Traditionally, the leaves have been used to construct shelters, as well as in weaving seats, baskets, hats, and mats. The dried seed heads can be dipped into oil and animal fat and used as a torch.

References ⁷

http://www.cattails.info/
https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/cattails
https://www.backwoodshome.com/the-incredible-cattail/

About the Author ⁸

Student author(s)*: Quinn (3rd Grade) and Fio (Kindergarten) from Chinook Spirit Children’s Academy and Malini from Menaul High School

*The entries in this field guide have been edited by Yerba Mansa Project staff to ensure that they contain quality, fact-checked content and standardized formatting. https://yerbamansaproject.org/

Sources and Credits

(c) Andreas Rockstein, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/74738817@N07/29158064723/
(c) born1945, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/12567713@N00/1352564688/
Adapted by caseynm from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typha
(c) albuquerqueherbalism, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
Adapted by Hannah from a work by (c) caseynm, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) caseynm, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

Range Map

iNat Map

Color	brown
Type	herb
Uses	edible, medicinal
Habitat	Wetland
Habitat	aquatic

‹ › ×

Cattail

Summary 5

Botanical Information 6

Ecological Information 7

Ethnobotanical Information 8

References 7

About the Author 8