So, Did You Know …….(and I love these plants –
every time I see them growing in a ditch, I am annoyed that I have no rubber
boots or shovel)
Typha latifolia, also known as
cattails, or punks or bulrush or reedmace, is a wetland or bog plant and has
many uses including being edible. You can boil or eat raw the rootstock, the
stem, the leaves (boil like spinach), and the flower (that’s the corn dog
looking thing on the tall stem). The young flower can actually be broken off
and eaten like corn on the cob. And,
according to those people that go around, eating wild herbs, it tastes very
much like corn.
Medicinally you can use
cattail roots, split and bruised as a poultice on cuts, wounds, burns, stings,
and bruises. The ash of the burned cattail leaves can be used as an antiseptic
or styptic for wounds. Plus, you can chew the starchy heart of the
cattail for snakebite. And what more could you want!
And then you can dry the stalks
for use as hand drills or arrow shafts. The seed heads and dried leaves can be
used for fire tinder. The seed head fluff can be used for pillow and bedding
stuffing or as a down-like insulation in clothing. In fact, during WWII, before
the age of man-made fillers, the US Navy used the cattail fluff for life
jackets.
The leaves can be used for
construction of shelters or for woven seats and backs of chairs, and you can
make baskets, hats, mats, and beds. The dried seed heads attached to their
stalks can be dipped into melted animal fat or oil and used as torches.
Among some cultures, cattail is
known as a vampire deterrent (not as smelly as garlic; easier to get ahold of
than holy water). And, its considered an
inducement for lust – not going any further with that.
All in all, cattails, which
grow all over North America, except for the really cold parts, are a good plant
to know. So, tuck this one into the part
of your brain for those “omigod, lost in
the wilderness, need food, shelter, and warmth” times.
Take care
p
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