Chapters 6.18
6.18 - Cattail (Typha latifolia)
Vivian Ma , University of Guelph, Canada
Suggested citation for this chapter.
Ma,V. (2022) Greens, Fleshy Stems and Gourds. In The Student Encyclopedia of Canadian Indigenous Foods. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. http://www.firstnationsfoods.org/
Background
The cattail (scientific name: Typha latifolia), also known as the “broadleaf cattail or “bulrush”, has a rapid growth rate of 18 inches in one season and can reach a height of 5 to 10 feet and flowers from June to August (Yeo, 1964). It has a thick stem, large flat leaves and a large velvety brown tip that resembles a cat’s tail, leading to its name.
It is pollinated by the wind easily carrying the seeds to other areas. The cattail is a hearty sustainable aquatic plant. It is classified as a perennial herb and has invasive tendencies due to its resilience in nature (Olson, Paul, & Freeland, 2009).Cattails are found thriving all across North America in perennial marshes, wetlands, bogs and swamps (Sarkar, Hanrahan, & Hudson, 2015)
History & indigenous connection
The history of the cattail is vast as it naturally flourishes and spreads in wetland areas across North America. Since the plant is plentiful, hearty and useful it is intertwined into the history of many different Indigenous nations.
Early recorded evidence found cattails used for textile and building materials by European settlers as well as the Algonquian nation of the Great Lakes region. On the West Coast cattail was used by the Ojibwa Chippewa. In Nova Scotia it can be found amongst the Squamish and Salish or even Pictou Tribes. One of the earliest uses was discovered in the 17th century from the Mi’Kmaq tribes (Gordon, 1995).
Practical uses included using leaves of the cattail and weaving or sewing them together into matts that acted as insulation from the cold winter ground, or they were used to provide waterproof padding providing comfort on long canoe trips and even used as a waterproof wind breaking tarps in the summer. These mats were also used as curtains as they filtered out the hot summer sun (Gordon, 1995).
Food description
For many generations the Typha Laitfolia has been consumed by Indigenous communities as a source of food, as the common cattail contains nutrients high protein so it could sustain tribes when meat rations were sparse (Mathias, 1964). The plant has many edible parts including its shoots and roots which have a fresh cucumber-like taste. The young shoots, also referred to as Cossack asparagus, can be eaten raw or cooked (F.E.R., 1969). The roots of the cattail provide a starchy potato-like texture when fried or boiled. When the roots are boiled down they provide a sweet syrup (Schultes, 1991).
The flowering spike, the roots or the shoots can also be boiled down and make a soup.
The cattail roots can also be dried and made into a very protein-rich powder and can be mixed with wheat flour then used to make bread, biscuits or muffins.
The seeds within the cattail have a nutty taste and can be added to salad or ground into a porridge (F.E.R., 1969)
Modern uses and benefits
In the past few decades scientists have discovered super absorbent properties within cattails for removing oils and toxins from water (Kadaverugu, 2016), and this has led to the development of new water treatment and pollution management processes (Amare & Workagegn, 2021). The plants are currently being utilized within constructed wetland wastewater treatment in Canada and the U.S., as well as Africa and Europe (see Figure 1) (Bansal et al., 2019).
It is also being discovered that the cattail use can leave no waste behind. The biomass from harvested plant matter can be used to make biofuel for heating and processed into other fuels (Ciria, Solano, & Soriano, 2005).
References
1. Amare, T. A., & Workagegn, K. B. (2021). Phytoremediation: A novel strategy for the removal of heavy metals from the offshore of Lake Hawassa using Typha latifolia L. Soil and Sediment Contamination: An International Journal, 1-13.
2. Bansal, S., Lishawa, S. C., Newman, S., Tangen, B. A., Wilcox, D., Albert, D., . . . Windham-Myers, L. (2019). Typha (cattail) invasion in North American wetlands: Biology, regional problems, impacts, ecosystem services, and Management. Wetlands, 39(4), 645-684. doi:10.1007/s13157-019-01174-7
3. Ciesielczuk, T., Rosik-Dulewska, C., & Poluszyńska, J. (2018). The possibilities of using broadleaf cattail seeds (Typha latifolia L.) as super absorbents for removing aromatic hydrocarbons (BTEX) from an aqueous solution. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 230(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-018-4058-9
4. Ciria, M., Solano, M., & Soriano, P. (2005). Role of macrophyte Typha latifolia in a constructed wetland for wastewater treatment and assessment of its potential as a biomass fuel. Biosystems Engineering, 92(4), 535-544. doi:10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2005.08.007
5. F.E.R. (1969). Edible native plants of the Rocky Mountains. Toxicon, 7(1), 78. https://doi.org/10.1016/0041-0101(69)90171-8
6. Gordon, J. (1995). Mi'kmaq textiles: Sewn-cattail matting, BKCP-1 site, Pictou, Nova Scotia. Halifax: Dept. of Education & Culture, Nova Scotia Museum, Museum Services Division.
7. Harris, B. C. (1995). Eat the weeds. Keats Pub.
8. Kadaverugu, R. (2016). Modeling of subsurface horizontal flow constructed wetlands using openfoam®. Modeling Earth Systems and Environment, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40808-016-0111-0
9. Limmer, M., & Burken, J. (2016). Phytovolatilization of organic contaminants. Environmental Science & Technology, 50(13), 6632-6643. doi:10.1021/acs.est.5b04113
10. Mathias, M. E. (1964). A field guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers from northern Arizona and New Mexico to British Columbia.John J. Craighead , Frank C. Craighead, jr. , Ray J. Davis. The Quarterly Review of Biology, 39(3), 296–296. https://doi.org/10.1086/404257
11. Olson, A., Paul, J., & Freeland, J. R. (2009). Habitat preferences of cattail species and hybrids (Typha spp.) in eastern Canada. Aquatic Botany, 91(2), 67–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2009.02.003
12. Sarkar, A., Hanrahan, M., & Hudson, A. (2015). Water insecurity in Canadian Indigenous communities: Some inconvenient truths. Rural and Remote Health. doi:10.22605/rrh3354
13. Schultes, R. E. (1991). Cornucopia: A source book of edible plants. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 34(2-3), 291–292. https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-8741(91)90056-j
14. Yeo, R. R. (1964). Life history of common cattail. Weeds, 12(4), 284. https://doi.org/10.2307/4040755