Cattails

Typha spp.

Sizes: Bareroot Availability

Aquatic Emergent
Max Size: 10′ tall x spreading
Average Size: 8′ tall x spreading

Muck, Sand
Sun
Aquatic, Very Moist, Usually Moist
Moderately tolerant of inundation of brackish water

As an aquatic emergent, cattails are found naturally in land that is changing from wet to dry. With large vessels in its leaves that transport oxygen to the submerged rhizome, cattails are a plethora of uses.

Prior to the European colonization of America, numerous indigenous tribes used cattails as a dietary staple. The roots have a nutritional value similar to rice or corn and can be used to create flour. The young stems can be eaten raw or boiled. The lower parts of the leaves can be used in salads. The young flowers can be boiled, covered in butter, and eaten like corn on the cob – the young flowers will be green, not brown! You CANNOT eat a brown cattail flower.

Some other benefits of cattails include: filtering heavy runoff, stabilizing soil, minimizing bank erosion, and supporting wildlife. They provide nesting and breeding habitat for wildlife such as red-winged blackbirds and migratory ducks. Cattails can also be useful for attracting gamefish such as largemouth bass, crappie, and various sunfish species. Fishermen can often increase catch rates by targeting those areas in and around cattail stands.