Photo (left) of cattail flowerheads gone to seed by Elijah Mears, Unsplash. Photo (right) by Maddie Weiss, Unsplash, of a cattail flowerhead amongst cattail leaves.
By Jennifer Devine
Nicknamed the “Plant of 1,000 Uses” and “Supermarket of the Swamp,” cattail (Typha) lines many stretches of road, fills many marshes, and borders many lakes and ponds here in northwest Michigan and beyond. Cattails are a regenerative crop, forming dense monoculture colonies in quiet water with help from their rhizomatic, creeping rootstalks.
Identifying Michigan’s cattail types
There are two varieties of Typha in Michigan: non-native, narrow-leaved cattail (T. angustifolia) and native, broad-leaved cattail (T. latifolia), according to michiganflora.net. Their names suggest the two are distinguishable by the width of their leaves.
The narrow-leaved cattail has flat, one-quarter- to one-half-inch-wide leaves that are 2-5 feet long. The common broad-leaved cattail’s leaves are flat and three-eighths to one-and-a-half inches wide, reaching lengths of 7 feet.
If distinguishing them by their leaf width is problematic, look at the flowering parts at the top of the stalk. Cattails contain both male and female parts. The female flower spike is under the male flower spike. The male spike on top produces pollen-rich flowers before shrinking away to allow the female spike to produce her fruit: a fluffy, seed-rich, cigar-shaped body that almost anyone can identify. In common broad-leaved cattails, the flower structures have no separation between them. The narrow-leaved cattail, however, has about a one-inch gap of bare stem between the male and female parts.
The soft, dense-packed fruit bursts open much like milkweed in the fall and lets the wind, water and wildlife do most of the work to spread seeds.
Plant of 1,000 Uses
Cattails almost became the alternative to Kopak to fill life jackets, instead of milkweed, during WWII. (Read “Got Milkweed? Yes, in Michigan”, (Freshwater Reporter, Nov. 7, 2021). Cattails.wordpress.com states: “A wartime water-resistance test demonstrated that—even after 100 hours of submersion—this ‘swamp down’ was capable of maintaining buoyancy,” and “a Chicago company began to substitute cattail cotton in furniture cushions and baseballs.”
The fluff is an alternative to boot, coat and mitten insulation and can be used to stuff things such as dolls, pillows, chairs or mattresses. Grab the cottony fluff and put it on a wound to stop bleeding. (If you are allergic, do not consider it for the above-mentioned uses.) Cattail fluff can be added to your tinder bundle for fires.
Use the stalks and leaves to weave baskets, quivers, mats, shelters, chair seats and more. Add Typha to your char tin (usually rectangular and thin), set it in coals until it stops smoking, and voilà! You’ve got char for your flint and steel. Boil leaves to use as a skin wash, or burn the leaves to ash and apply to wounds as an antiseptic.
Supermarket of the Swamp
Before you begin foraging, pay attention to your surroundings. This is extremely important. Do not gather cattails, or any wild edibles, in areas where the water or the plant may be polluted by things like car exhaust or in areas treated with aquatic weedkillers. Get to know your foraging locations before you begin. Once you’ve done your research, you can try the following in your kitchen.
Pollen from cattail flowers in spring can be dried and added to your baking flour. Harvest the green female flowerhead, boil for about 15-20 minutes, cover in butter, season and eat it like corn on the cob.
In his book, “The New Wildcrafted Cuisine”, Pascal Bauder shares this nugget: “The true delicacy is the young and tender white shoots coming out of the roots in spring. Forage them carefully, as they break easily. You can cook or pickle them.” The author even shares a recipe for pickled cattail shoots.
Cattail roots are best harvested in the late fall. They produce more edible starch than potatoes. Use them like a root vegetable, or dry them and grind the roots to make flour. *Note: They may cause discomfort in those with gluten intolerance and should be avoided if you have celiac disease. Search “cattail recipes” online for inspiration.
Winter is a great time to start exploring with cattail!
Jennifer Devine has a passion for writing and plants. Homesteading off-grid and living in the city has offered her family a myriad of experiences, memories and adventures as they utilize natural resources in their crafts, cooking and more.
Read more stories by MI Backyard’s Jennifer Devine HERE.
