Betcha didn't know...

-It is known by many different names: common cattail, cattail, broadleaf cattail, soft-flag, punks, bulrush, reed mace, corndog grass

-It is invasive and some consider it a weed

-It can grow in areas of high acidity or containing heavy metal allowing it to be used in secondary waste water treatment!

-It is being looked at as an alternative fuel!!

-It is used to help erosion control

-The rhizomes can be ground into a salve and used as a wound dressing, used by the Cahuilla of southern California.

-The fluff from the seeds was used to make dressings for sores and burns by the Sioux and other tribes of the Missouri River region.

-The roots and leaf bases were made into a tea to treat stomach cramps by the Cheyenne.

-The stems and leaves are made into fans in Guatemala

-It’s used to make sandals in Peru

-It’s used to make rafts on Lake Titicaca

-It’s used to make dolls by the Chippewa

-Fluff from seeds is used as bedding in Bermuda and Sweden

 

-Seed fluff is used in quilts, diapers, torches, pillows, mattresses, upholstery, filling in basketballs and life jackets!

 

EDIBLE USES:

-Pollen is used as flour, known to be good in pancakes

-Flower spikes can be cooked and eaten like corn on the cob

-Inner part of shoots and core of the rhizome is starchy and can be eaten raw

-Core can also be baked, dried and ground into flour, or boiled into syrup

-Fluff from the flower can be burned to separate the seeds which are edible

-Root is a source of alcohol in Russia

Interesting in recipes made with cattails? click here.

 

 

To see references used, click here.

 

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