A Stroll Through the Garden: Cattails are useful in many ways

Eric Larson

Guest columnist

I was at a home a number of years ago where I was invited by a member of the Kiwanis, an excellent service group, to see how this gentleman had worked with the conditions in his yard to provide a sustainable environment and remain attractive at the same time. This marvelous yard had both serious shade conditions and a small swamp. Both of these could be a source of expensive corrections and continual adjustment. The amount of soil to fill the swamp would not be at all small. To correct the shade may be less expensive by removing all of the trees, but it would never achieve the desired results by eliminating the shade and the trees.

Compromise is an art that age and wisdom bring when we discover that I don’t always have to have it my way. I sincerely compliment this gentleman on his wisdom and working with the environment rather than against it. With this knowledge, I believe that we need to view weeds rather as a potential opportunity over being an enemy. As I was driving by a swamp this week and noticing that the seed heads on the cattails were changing, I wondered at the hidden potential that we may be missing as we look at different plants. Weeds and weeding are always from the owner’s perspective and need to be seen in the light of these facts.

An example of cattails you might find near a yard. In the winter, the cattails go dormant and the shoots turn brown and decay.

Broadleaf cattails or Typha latifolia was one of the Native Americans' best survival tools because it answered three of the basic needs each of us have. When the tops of the cattails go to seed, they develop those almost white seed parachutes. This dandelion-like material has been used for many centuries to start fires, along with the dry cane and leaves. If you weave the leaves together and use the dried stalks as support structures, you can use this material for some form of temporary shelter.

All four seasons you can find something on this plant to eat. Early in spring you can eat the tender shoots, either raw or cooked, before the shoots break the water level. Brine them and they taste like salted cucumbers. As the seed heads develop, the actual cattail, you can boil the cattail in a pot of hot water and eat it like corn on the cob — and it has a faint taste of corn itself. As the seed heads develop in early summer, the pollen can be gathered and included in baking goods. The pollen is packed full of protein and improves the nutritional value of the bread you may make. Seeds left behind in late summer and early fall can be harvested, roasted and winnowed. These seeds can also be eaten. Winter was a hard season for Native Americans, but cattails can be reduced to flour for baking needs by cleaning the roots as best as possible, drying the rootstalk that is left, pounding the dried rootstalk, and finally allowing the starch to fall naturally from the fibers to the bottom of a water-filled bowl.

The jelly you find inside the young leaves, which is a natural antiseptic, can also be used for treating wounds and other skin problems such as boils and sores. This same jelly can give some relief from inflammation. Our antiseptic jelly gets rid of foreign agents, pathogens and even microbes. If you ingest this jelly, you will find that this plant is also known as a powerful analgesic and help get rid of the pain you have. Root of the cattail can be used as a part of a poultice for burns and sores. The fuzz from the flowers can be used to help bind wounds and reduce chafing for sores. Various parts of this cattail have blood coagulating properties, which also means that it can be used to prevent anemia. Insect bites can also be treated with jelly. Young flowers from cattails can be eaten to help cure diarrhea. When the brown flower head is burnt, it can produce an insect repellent.

Cattails can be found in bogs or other areas that remain wet during the growing season.

In a survival situation I feel this plant is a goldmine. Most people in our time want to get rid of the swamps and cattails. I don’t understand that limited vision. We maybe need some changes in our thought patterns. Designing a garden based strictly on aesthetics means you can miss some of the benefits of the native plants. If you designed out your little swamp and got rid of the cattails, you may not be able to drink some of this plant's liquid and get some relief from the pain you have. This I hope will help you to re-evaluate your goals as you are designing your gardens.

Hope you have a nice stroll through the garden today. If you see any issues that need to be addressed, e-mail me at ericlarson546@yahoo.com. You can find blog links on ohiohealthyfoodcoopoperative.org where you can leave your comments soon. We are looking for followers on our Facebook pages.

Eric Larson of Jeromesville is a veteran landscaper and gardening enthusiast and a founding board member of the Ohio Chapter of Association of Professional Landscape Designers.