Hybrid cattail

Typha glauca

Physical Characteristics

Typha glauca is a PERENNIAL growing to 3 m (9ft 10in). The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and is pollinated by Wind. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers wet soil and can grow in water.

Distribution

Eastern N. America.

Habitats

Pond; Bog Garden;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Flowers Leaves Oil Pollen Root Seed Shoots Stem Edible Uses: Oil Roots - raw or cooked. Rich in starch, they can be boiled and eaten like potatoes or macerated and then boiled to yield a sweet syrup[172]. The root can also be dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickener in soups etc or added to cereal flours. Rich in protein, this flour is used to make biscuits, bread, cakes etc. Young shoots in spring - raw or cooked. An asparagus substitute. They are peeled before being eaten[172] Base of mature stem - raw or cooked. It is best to remove the outer part of the stem. Young flowering stem - raw, cooked or made into a soup. Tastes like sweet corn[172]. Seed - cooked. The seed is rather small and fiddly to utilize, but has a pleasant nutty taste when roasted. An edible oil is obtained from the seed. Due to the small size of the seed this is probably not a very worthwhile crop. Pollen - raw or cooked[172]. A protein rich additive to flour used in making bread, porridge etc[183]. It can also be eaten with the young flowers, which makes it considerably easier to utilize. The pollen can be harvested by placing the flowering stem over a wide but shallow container and then gently tapping the stem and brushing the pollen off with a fine brush[9]. This will help to pollinate the plant and thereby ensure that both pollen and seeds can be harvested[K].

Medicinal Uses

Miscellany None known

Known Hazards

None known