Habitat and Range
Cattails grow up to 9 ft tall and emerge from the shallow waters of wet places from lakes to roadside ditches. They grow up to 6600 ft in all parts of the Sierra.
Physical Description
The common broad-leaved cattail (T. latifolia), as shown above, has long sword-like leaves that grow alternately from the plant stem. Each leaf grows to the approximately the same height and varies from 10-30 mm wide. The sausage-like inflorescence is separated into a pistillate (lower; female) and staminate (upper; male) portion. The upper half produces yellow pollen. The lower half is green in flower and turns brown at maturity, producing seeds that disperse in the wind.
Food Uses
The cattail is the surviver's supermarket. Every part is edible or highly useful. The young shoots can be stripped from the rootstock and eaten raw or cooked in stir-fry dishes. The starchy ball at the stem base is excellent either raw or cooked. The inner core of the young vegetative stem can be eaten raw as well. In the late spring and early summer, the male pollen can be gathered fresh or dried as a substitute for flour (substitute up to one-half of the flour). The rhizhome (rootstock) can also be peeled, mashed, and separated in water to yield a great substitute for flour. The green female flowers can be eaten like corn. The peeled rhizome can also be eaten roasted or boiled in the fall and winter.
Medicinal Uses
Mature brown cattail seeds ("down") have been used as a dressing for wounds. Stem preparations have been used to cure diarhea and treat venereal disease.
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