Cattails are so prolific and the uses for this plant are curiously endless.

Native Americans have used them for food, clothing, shelter, medicines, arrows and for weaving baskets. The seed-down, which is very soft and doesn’t compress or mat, is used for padding and insulation.

They also made jelly and marmalade from the roots. The pollen, rich in vitamins and minerals, can also be used for baking and making bread. America had at least 140 thousand square miles of cattail swamps around the Second World War where we used millions of pounds to make insulation for wallboard and clothing.

This plant grows upwards of eight feet with erect giant grass-like blades about one inch wide that are situated towards the top of the slender stalk. The cylindrical flower-head starts green in early summer and turns velvety brown as the season progresses.

The flower has two parts; a brown cylinder-the female part, and a yellow spike-the male part. The male flowers drop off after blooming and shed their pollen. The female flowers develop into brown, fluffy tops which are actually masses of seeds - upwards of 300,000 seeds with a fine tuft of white hairs.

The shoots, roots and pollen of cattails are completely edible. “Duck Potatoes” or arrow-like-heads, form large edible tubers that contain more fat than potatoes or wheat, with slightly less protein and minerals. Oil can be extracted from the seeds; a drying oil like linseed, cooking oil and a wax. The mealy by-product can then be used in cattle and chicken feeds.

The thick rhizome rootstock is high in starch as I mentioned above, can be eaten as potatoes, it can also be dried and ground into not only flour, but as a substitute for corn starch. The harvested pollen is also a more nutritional flour replacement.

In spring, the young cucumber tasting shoots or “Cossack asparagus”, are peeled and eaten as a vegetable or used in salads. The young green flower-heads are said to be delicious when boiled or roasted. In addition, the plant stocks and roots have been fermented to produce ethyl alcohol, a valuable alternative energy source also used for anti-freeze, solvent and for medicinal purposes.

For centuries, cattail leaves have been used to caulk barrels. Twisted and braided leaves have been utilized into cords for making rush-bottomed furniture. Native American Tribes wove them into waterproof mats for their lodges and for sleeping mats.

Soft fibers, extracted from the leaves and stems are used like jute for twine, burlap, furniture stuffing and webbing. Extracted from the stems is a sticky substance used for an adhesive for paper, or in facial and shaving creams.

I have never tried any of these uses before, but, I can’t wait to try some of them and report back to you my experience. Go ahead, try one and let me know what you think.