Cattail

Typha latifolia

Illustration: Cattail (Typha latifolia) brown spikes and strap leaves

Identification: Unmistakable brown hot-dog-on-a-stick seed heads on tall stalks; long flat strap-like leaves; grows standing in water.

Dangerous look-alikes: Sweet flag (Acorus) has similar leaves but no brown spike — and is a different plant; no deadly confusion once the brown spike is seen. Avoid polluted water — cattails filter contaminants into their tissues.

Edible parts: Spring shoots ('cossack asparagus'), immature green flower spikes, pollen, rhizomes.

Season and habitat: Spring (shoots/spikes), summer (pollen), fall–winter (rhizomes). Marshes, pond edges, ditches.

Preparation: Peel shoots and eat raw or sautéed; boil green spikes and eat like corn; shake pollen into flour; scrub rhizomes, pound, and wash out the starch. The 'supermarket of the swamp.'

Notes: Only gather from clean water — never near roads, farms, or industry runoff.