| DESCRIPTION: It is a herbaceous, rhizomatous plant with long, slender green stalks topped with brown, fluffy, sausage-shaped flowering heads. It grows 1.5-4 m in height. USE: The root are edible raw or cooked. They are rich in starch and protein and can be boiled and eaten like potatoes. The root can also be dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickener in soups etc or added to cereal flours. Young shoots in spring are edible raw or cooked. The seed can be consumed cooked. An edible oil is obtained from the seed. The pollen is rich in protein and is edible raw or cooked. The leaves are diuretic. The pollen is astringent, desiccant, diuretic, haemostatic and vulnerary. It is used in the treatment of nose bleeds, haematemesis, haematuria, uterine bleeding, dysmenorrhoea, postpartum abdominal pain and gastralgia, scrofula and abscesses. It is contraindicated for pregnant women. The seed down is haemostatic. The rootstock is astringent and diuretic. The stems and leaves make a good thatch, can be used in making paper, can be woven into mats, chairs, etc. The pollen is highly inflammable and is used in making fireworks. This plants extensive root system makes it very good for stabilizing wet banks of rivers, lakes etc. GROWING PERIOD: Perennial. COMMON NAMES: Southern cattail. FURTHER INF: It can be found in Europe, Asia, and North America. Found in shallow water to 15 cm in and along brackish to fresh marshes, ponds and pools. It requires wet soil and can grow in water. Plants can be very invasive, spreading freely at the roots when in a suitable site. |