name: Narrowleaf Cattail

flavor_db_name_variants: narrowleaf cattail

source: foodb

status: draft

food_db_id: Narrowleaf cattail

id: 564

name_scientific: Typha angustifolia

description: Typha angustifolia L., (also lesser bulrush or 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 brackish locations. The plant's leaves are flat, very narrow (¼"-½" wide), and 3'-6' tall when mature; 12-16 leaves arise from each vegetative shoot. At maturity, they have distinctive stalks that are about as tall as the leaves; the stalks are topped with brown, fluffy, sausage-shaped flowering heads. The plants have sturdy, rhizomatous roots that can extend 27" and are typically ¾"-1½" in diameter. It has been proposed that the species was introduced from Europe to North America. In North America, it is also thought to have been introduced from coastal to inland locations. Several parts of the plant are edible, including during various seasons the dormant sprouts on roots and bases of leaves, the inner core of the stalk, green bloom spikes, ripe pollen, and starchy roots. The edible stem is called b?n b?n in Vietnam.

itis_id: 42325

wikipedia_id: Narrowleaf_cattail

picture_file_name: 578.jpg

picture_content_type: image/jpeg

picture_file_size: 88058

picture_updated_at: 2012-04-20T09:42:04.000Z

legacy_id: 605

food_group: Vegetables

food_subgroup: Other vegetables

food_type: Type 1

created_at: 2011-02-09T00:37:49.000Z

updated_at: 2019-05-14T18:05:27.000Z

creator_id: null

updater_id: null

export_to_afcdb: false

category: specific

ncbi_taxonomy_id: 59011

export_to_foodb: true

public_id: FOOD00564