''Typha latifolia'' (broadleaf cattail, bulrush, common bulrush, common cattail, cat-o'-nine-tails, great reedmace, cooper's reed, cumbungi) is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...

herbaceous plant Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent wood, woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennial plant, perennials, and nearly all Annual plant, annuals and Biennial plant, biennials. Definition ...

in the genus '' Typha''. It is found as a

native plant In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often popularised as "with no human intervention") during history. The term is equ ...

species in

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...

and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

Eurasia Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago ...

, and

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

Description

''Typha latifolia'' grows 1.5 to 3 metres (5 to 10 feet) high and it has leaves broad. It will generally grow from 0.75 to 1'' ''m (2 to 3'' ''ft) of water depth.

Distribution and habitat

It is found as a

species in North and South America, Eurasia, and Africa."Typha latifolia (aquatic plant)"
Global Invasive Species Database. Retrieved 2011-02-21. In Canada, broadleaf cattail occurs in all provinces and also in the

Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

and Northwest Territories, and in the United States, it is native to all states except

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

."Typha latifolia, U.S. Forest Service Fire Effects Information Database"
U.S. Forest Service. Retrieved 2011-02-20 It is an introduced and invasive species, and is considered a noxious weed in Australia and Hawaii. It has been reported in Indonesia,

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

, and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It is referred to as ''Soli-soli'' in the Philippines. The species has been found in a variety of climates, including tropical, subtropical, southern and northern temperate, humid coastal, and dry continental. It is found at elevations from sea level to 2,300'' ''m (7,500'' ''ft. ''T. latifolia'' is an "obligate wetland" species, meaning that it is always found in or near water."USDA Plant Guide: Typha latifolia"
United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2011-02-20. The species generally grows in flooded areas where the water depth does not exceed , but has also been reported growing in floating mats in slightly deeper water. It grows mostly in fresh water but also occurs in slightly brackish marshes. The species can displace other species native to salt marshes upon reduction in salinity. Under such conditions the plant may be considered aggressive since it interferes with preservation of the salt marsh habitat. ''T. latifolia'' shares its range with other related species, and hybridizes with ''

Typha angustifolia ''Typha angustifolia'' L. (also lesser bulrush, narrowleaf cattail or lesser reedmace) is a perennial herbaceous plant of genus ''Typha''. This cattail is an "obligate wetland" species that is commonly found in the northern hemisphere in brackis ...

'', narrow-leaf cattail, to form ''Typha × glauca'' (''T. angustifolia × T. latifolia''), white cattail. Common cattail is usually found in shallower water than narrow-leaf cattail.

Uses

Traditionally, the plant has been a part of certain

indigenous cultures Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, as a source of food, medicine, and for other uses. The rhizomes are edible after cooking and removing the skin, while peeled stems and leaf bases can be eaten raw or cooked. The young

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

spikes, young shoots, and sprouts at the end of the rootstocks are edible as well.Turner, Nancy J. ''Food Plants of Interior First Peoples'' (Victoria: UBC Press, 1997) The pollen from the mature cones can be used as a flavoring. The starchy rootstalks are ground into meal by Native Americans. It is not advisable to eat specimens deriving from polluted water as it absorbs pollutants and in fact is used as a bioremediator. Specimens with a very bitter or spicy taste should not be eaten.YouTube - Wild Living with Sunny: episode 4
Video describing collection and cooking of common cattail.

References

External links

– Edible parts and identification
U. of Michigan-Dearborn: Ethnobotany
{{Taxonbar, from=Q147520 latifolia Aquatic plants Flora of Europe Flora of Asia Flora of Africa Flora of North America Flora of South America Plants used in Native American cuisine Plants used in traditional Native American medicine Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus