Cattail (Typha)

Narrow Leaf Cattail

Description: Cattails are grass-like plants with strap-shaped leaves 1 to 5 centimeters wide and growing up to 1.8 meters tall. The male flowers are borne in a dense mass above the female flowers. These last only a short time, leaving the female flowers that develop into the brown cattail. Pollen from the male flowers is often abundant and bright yellow.

Habitat and Distribution: Cattails are found throughout most of the world. Look for them in full sun areas at the margins of lakes, streams, canals, rivers, and brackish water.


The common cattail. This thing grows pretty much anywhere and everywhere in the US that actually has standing pools of water, which pretty much means all of the northern and northeastern areas of the country. It comes in several different scientific breeds, including the "narrow leaf" depicted above. Once identified, it's

Pollen on the Male part of the Cattail.

pretty hard to miss this plant, which is the good news. The mature plant fits the description above, and is really the only plant that will. Younger plants can be tricky, however, so always look for last year's growth to confirm your identification as there are three very poisonous plants that are quite easily confused with the cattail.

Now for the even better news: It is said that if you've found cattails, you've found just about everything that you need in order to survive: food, water, the ability to make shelter, and tinder. This entire plant is usable in one form or another. So. We shall start at the top of the plant, and work our way down.

In the spring, the "cob-like" portions of the top of the plant can be harvested and eaten much like corn. The inner component is stringy and tough, but the outside kernels are soft and very edible. They can even be prepared like corn on the cob: boil until soft and tender. Equally as commonly, that portion is scraped off and used as a meal or added to another grain or starch as flavor.

Cattail stalk or 'heart'

A little bit later in the season, the yellow that forms on the spike above the cob-like portion can be harvested and used as a flour. This is the pollen created by the plant. I've never personally harvested it, but I understand that the harvesting component is actually the "trick". Suggestions have included wrapping a bag around the top of the plant and shaking vigorously to free the pollen.

Moving into summer, the young stalks (about 2 feet in height) can be pulled, and the white portion of them eaten either raw or boiled. As you can see, it looks much like asparagus. The shoots provide beta carotene, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, potassium, phosphorus, and vitamin C.

Cleaned Cattail Root

And we're not done yet. Finally, the roots themselves can be pulled up and used. They are a starch, and as such can be prepared like a potato, the starch can be leached out of them via a number of methods: one method suggests finally chopping the root and allowing it to dry, then grinding it into a fine flour. Another suggests cleaning the roots and soaking in water until the fibers separate. Strain the fiber out, and let the starch settle to the bottom of the bucket, strain and dry the starch for use later. More work, but it is supposed to have a better flavor. I've not tried this, so cannot offer any personal experience.

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 Now that we've proceeded to EAT the whole plant, what about medicinal uses?

• Sweet, acrid, astringent, diuretic, hemostatic, vulnerary, circulatory tonic, nutritive, promotes healing, uterine stimulant; affects liver, heart spleen. The pollen has been either dusted on externally, or taken internally for hemorrhage.
• In Chinese traditional medicine the dried yellow pollen is used uncooked as an anticoagulant and the cooked pollen as a coagulant. The pollen, roasted over a slow fire until black, used as a wound dressing to stop bleeding. It has been combined with Cuttlefish bone for bleeding injuries. The pollen has been used to treat bloody urine, other urinary problems, angina, amenorrhea, painful menses, postpartum pain, abscess (combined with honey), abdominal pain, tapeworms, vomiting of blood, internal bleeding, cancer of the lymphatic system. The root has been used as a tonic, febrifuge, diuretic, lactogogue, and to treat dysentary. Also: the pollen mixed with honey was applied to painful swellings and sores.
• The species T. angustata is used in Chinese traditional medicine: The leaf as a diuretic. The pollen as an astringent, dessicant, diuretic, hemostat, vulnerary. The down as a hemostat. The root has been cooked with pork to treat dropsy. The plant has been used the same as T. latifolia.
• The species T. latifolia: The leaf has been used as a diuretic. The pollen as an astringent, hemostat, refrigerant, sedative, suppurative, vulnerary. The flower has been used for abdominal pain, amenorrhea, cystitis, dysmenorrhea, dysuria, ecchymoses (bruises), epistaxis (nosebleed), vomiting blood, bloody stools, bloody urine, hemorrhoids, leucorrhea, uterine bleeding, urethritis, vaginitis. The root has been used as a diuretic, galactagogue, refrigerant, tonic, and used to treat caked breast, dysentary, fever.
• Some Native American tribes dipped the down in cleaned hog grease and used this to wash burns and scalds. The Ojibwa crushed the roots by pounding or chewing and used the pulpy mass as a poultice for sores. The Omaha powdered the root, then wet it and spread the resulting paste over burns and scalds; the flowers were then applied as a cover, and a strip of hide or fabric used as a binding to hold it in place. The Cheyenne made an infusion of the powdered roots and the white base of the leaves to relieve abdominal cramping. The Forest Potawatomi used the root as a poultice for inflammation.

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And after all of this, there are even MORE uses for the endlessly useful cattail plant. As we move away from eating and treating, lets see what else we can do with this wonderful creation of nature:

Cattail Mat

• The dried (and green) leaves have been used to weave mats, chair seats, and baskets and to thatch roofs.
• The downy material from the ripened cattail "cobs" was  used to stuff pillows and mattresses.
• The Hurons of North America strapped their infants to a papoose board, swaddled them in furs and placed the Cattail fluff beneath the babe both to cushion it and keep it clean. Other Native Americans used the leaves to make bed mats as well as mats to provide sides and thatched roofs to their dwellings. The Forest Potawatomi used the mats as the sides of their living quarters and sweat lodges while the down was used to make matresses. The Chippewa made the mats by weaving on frames, using basswood twine; they also used the outer covering of the cattail to make toys which could be sailed on the water. The Menomini used the root as a caulking for leaks in their canoes; they also used the leaves for mats in their winter lodges and for thatching for their roofs. The Flambeau Ojibwa used the down for a war medicine, believing the fuzz thrown into the eyes of the enemy would blind them.



Roof of Cattail, Hay, Straw.

• The leaves were twisted together and formed into rings to use between the neck of a draft horse and the collar to provide a cushion.
• The down was combined with ashes and lime to make a cement said to be quite strong.
• The seeds are said to kill mice.
• The flour of the root has been fermented to produce an ethyl alcohol.
• The fibers of the stem were once used to make a burlap fabric.
• An adhesive was obtained from the stems.
• The fuzz (down) was compressed for insulation.
• The seeds were once processed for oil and the residue fed to chickens.

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All around... a pretty darn useful "weed", wouldn't you say?