Cattail (bulrush)
Typha latifolia
Botanical family: Typhaceae
A majestic emergent plant (1.5 to 2.5 m) with a long velvety brown spike, present on all temperate and boreal continents. Grown as a staple food by the first peoples of North America, Asia, and Central Europe. The yellow pollen, gathered with a sieve onto a bag at the end of spring, is one of the most protein-rich plant foods accessible. The peeled young shoots, called 'Cossack's asparagus' in the culinary tradition of Eastern Europe, are cooked like asparagus.
Full sun
Mud of a pond or basin, a ledge 10-30 cm below the water
Emergent plant, feet permanently submerged
Very hardy (-25 °C, rhizomes sheltered underwater)
Overwinters in your zone
Wind-pollinated (yellow male spikes above brown female spikes)
Role in permaculture
A pillar of the permaculture edible pond: four food harvests possible in the year (young shoots in spring, protein-rich pollen in early summer, the tender heart of the stem, autumn-winter rhizomes rich in starch). A phytopurification plant used to absorb heavy metals, hence its double value: food-bearing in clean water, purifying in water to be depolluted. Always to be planted in an openwork basket on a 10-30 cm underwater shelf.
Good companions
Traditional companion planting (benefit not demonstrated)
Poor companions
Invasive species: smother the habitat
Insects attracted or useful
Seasons & availability
Bulrush is increased in spring by dividing the rhizome and gives a harvest spread across the year: young shoots in spring, green spikes and pollen in early summer, and starchy rhizomes that can be lifted all year round, above all in autumn and winter.
Available: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December.
Guidance for the oceanic / temperate climate; it may vary with your region, altitude, exposure and growing method.
Sources
- Plants For A Future, « Typha latifolia » (pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Typha+latifolia)
- USDA NRCS, « Broad-leaved cattail, Typha latifolia L. », Plant Guide (plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/pg_tyla.pdf)
- Tela Botanica, « Typha latifolia L. » (tela-botanica.org/bdtfx-nn-70154-description)
Nutritional & medicinal properties
For educational purposes. Not a substitute for medical advice. Effects depend on the form, the dose and personal context.
Precautions & contraindications
NEVER harvest for the plate in water of unknown origin: the genus Typha strongly accumulates heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, As), especially in its roots. This property, documented in the phytoremediation literature (Brix 1994, Water Science and Technology; Bonanno & Cirelli 2017, Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety), makes it useful for purification but exposes you to a plant loaded with pollutants. A confusion is possible at the young-shoot stage with the yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus), toxic: the bulrush has spiral, semi-cylindrical leaves, the iris flat leaves pleated like a fan (ANSES; Bruneton, Plantes toxiques). According to Cousins et al. (2022, Environmental Science & Technology), PFOA levels in rainwater exceed US drinking-water health advisories even in remote regions, and PFOS levels often do, and in France decree 2024-796 classifies rainwater as 'unfit for human consumption': it remains preferable to tap water for feeding the pond, but these levels are to be factored into the assessment for a regular food harvest (see the concept 'Rainwater quality').
Species & varieties
The best-known species and varieties in France.
Species
Voices of peoples
Paraphrases attributed to their documented sources. Never an invented quote.
Peoples of the Great Lakes (Ojibwe, Cree, Haudenosaunee) · North America, age-old transmissions
For the peoples of the Great Lakes, the bulrush, apakwa among the Ojibwe, provided food, matting, roofing, insulation, dressing, fire tinder. A plant-cosmos in which each part found its seasonal use. It was taught to children as one of the first riches of the marsh, even before they could fish.
Daniel E. Moerman, Native American Ethnobotany, Timber Press, 2010 ; François Couplan, Le régal végétal, Sang de la Terre, 2009.
Before you forage
This plant is often gathered from the wild. Only pick what is abundant, never a protected species, and never uproot a whole plant (roots) without the landowner's permission. Rules vary by country and region, check locally.
Key takeaways
- • Prefers full sun exposure.
- • Ideal soil: mud of a pond or basin, a ledge 10-30 cm below the water.
- • Classic companion: Arrowhead (wapato).
- • Keep away from: Water primrose.