Typha Latifolia

Scientific Name: Typha latifolia

Common Name: broadleaf cattail

Symbol: TYLA

Category: Monocot

Genus: Typha

Family: Typhaceae

Family Common Name: Cat-tail family

Order: Typhales

Class: Liliopsida

Subkingdom: Tracheobionta

Kingdom: Plantae

Duration: Perennial

Growth Habit: Forb/herb

Native Status: L48 (N), AK (N), HI (I), CAN (N)

Flower Color: Brown

Flower Conspicuous: No

Foliage Color: Green

Foliage Texture: Coarse

Fruit Color: Brown

Edible: No

Cattail plants

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Scientific Name: Typha latifolia

Common Name(s): Cattail

Edible: yes

Medicinal: no

Parts Used: root, stem, fruit

Logos 12 Aug, 2008	Description: Cattails are grasslike 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.
Current Rating: 0.0000

Logos 12 Aug, 2008	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.
Current Rating: 0.0000

Logos 12 Aug, 2008	Edible Parts: The young tender shoots are edible raw or cooked. The rhizome is often very tough but is a rich source of starch. Pound the rhizome to remove the starch and use as a flour. The pollen is also an exceptional source of starch. When the cattail is immature and still green, you can boil the female portion and eat it like corn on the cob.
Current Rating: 0.0000

Logos 12 Aug, 2008	Other Uses: The dried leaves are an excellent source of weaving material you can use to make floats and rafts. The cottony seeds make good pillow stuffing and insulation. The fluff makes excellent tinder. Dried cattails are effective insect repellents when burned.
Current Rating: 0.0000

crashdive123 17 Jul, 2009	The stems can be soaked in cold water to remove the starch and the water then cooked off to make a paste.
Current Rating: 0.0000

Ted 29 Jan, 2010	Making flour- Rootstalks can be collected late fall through,spring. Wash,peel,then crush in bucket of water,remove any fiber and debis floating,pour water and repeat a couple of times.Can be used while still wet, or let dry for future use.
Current Rating: 0.0000

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Typha latifolia

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