Cat-tail, a rich source of food growing wild

[Frnc]

May I present to you, the Cat-tail, aka Greater Reedmace, aka Bullrush. Typha Latifolia. Said to be the single most important plant-based survival food in the Northern Hemisphere. Harvested by humans throught history.


Provides food all year round.

Rhizomes are rich in carbs and also contain protein. They can be processed into flour or simply baked on embers for 15-20 minutes until blackened and the spongy layer has withered. This layer surrounds the inner starchy layer we want to eat.

You can also eat the shoots, and the white inner core of stems of mature plants.

Pollen is rich in nutrients and protein.

These plants grow widely in areas known a fens and marshy meadows. This can include the edges of lakes etc.

IDENTIFICATION

1. The female flowers form a brown sausage shaped body on the stem. Immediately above this is the male pollen spike. This is yellow and high in protein and minerals.

2. Lower part of the leaf is crescent shaped in cross section. Like the moon. Remember it by cats go out at night.
Poss Confusion: Yellow Flag Iris
Yellow flag leaves have a cross section that has a central diamond-shaped rib with a very thin papery leaf structure either side. This plant you want to avoid! (toxic)


3. Basal structure is ROUND. Think Reedmace Round. R - R.
Yellow Flag Iris has a OVAL base.

BE SURE TO KEEP RHIZOME ATTACHED TO UPPER PLANT for identification, so as not to get a Yellow Flag Iris rhizome.

You should ideally use at least one proper botany book to identify a plant. This plant is in:

The Wild Flower Key, Francis Rose. A classic book. Key to this species is very simple to use (one step).

Plants and Habitats: An Introduction to Common Plants and Their Habitats in Britain and Ireland, 2013, by Ben Averis. Easy to use.

The Vegetative Key to the British Flora: A new approach to plant identification 2019, by John Poland. This book is pretty heavy going, with a lot of jargon, although it does have a glossary of course.

Further info
https://paulkirtley.co.uk/2013/five-sur ... ould-know/
https://gallowaywildfoods.com/reedmace-flour/
https://totallywilduk.co.uk/2022/02/14/reedmace/

[Frnc]

There's a similar plant that's also useful.

Common Reed (Phragmites communis/australis)

Young shoots can be eaten raw or cooked (note - if water is stagnant or contaminated, eating raw plants is risky).

Hardened sap from damaged stems can be eaten fresh or toasted. When the stems are punctured or broken while still green they slowly exude a sugary substance, which eventually hardens into a gum. The North American Indians used to collect this and break it into balls which they ate as sweets.

Stems can be dried, ground, sifted, hydrated, and toasted like marshmallows.

The seeds are difficult to extract but are said to be nutritious. They can be crushed, mixed with berries and water, and cooked to make a gruel.

The roots can be prepared similar to those of cat-tails. Remember root must be attached for identification.

IDENTIFICATION

Like the cat-tail, these are tall. Unlike the cat-tail these are classified as grasses.

Ligule is a ring of hairs, up to 8mm long. [Ligule - a strap or tongue-shaped structure eg the projection at the top of the sheathing part of a grass leaf by the base of the free blade. Free - not attached along it's length.] Photos, see naturespot link.

Leaves grow alternately along the top half of the stem. Leaves rolled when young.

Leaves are flat and strap-like, 1-2” wide tapering to a point. Up to 2 ft long.

Inflorescence is purplish, many small flowers, silky when mature, fades to brown.

Stems are hollow, golden.

More info
https://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/common-reed Click on a photo and hit the arrows, there are more photos than you think, good closeups of ligule.
wiki
Food For Free (the bit about sap is partly lifted from this)

[itsybitsy]

Anyone actually eaten this or planning to?

[Frnc]

Anyone actually eaten this or planning to?

I plan to go looking for it. I believe it might grow near me. I dunno about eating it outside of a survival situation. It depends where I find it. Stagnant pond, maybe not. Also there is the problem of getting to the rhizomes, I'm not gonna wade through waist deep water and muck. Plus, where I find it might be a nature reserve or other protected land. There's certainly no issue with being protected species, they are generally seen as invasive.
For some reason these and Common Reed are not listed in some forager books/websites.

[jansman]

Anyone actually eaten this or planning to?

NO! On my regular fishing beats,they grow everywhere. However,they grow in ,well, shit. Silt. And it stinks. No way I’ll be eating that. Ragnar Benson in his survival books highlights bulrushes,or catails as the yanks call them. Good luck standing up to your waist in that to get less calories than you expend.

[itsybitsy]

Ok well that's a definite no no then. Anyone got any more appealing ideas for when we have go undoubtedly go all-out feral and start living like animals?

[Frnc]

Anyone actually eaten this or planning to?

NO! On my regular fishing beats,they grow everywhere. However,they grow in ,well, shit. Silt. And it stinks. No way I’ll be eating that. Ragnar Benson in his survival books highlights bulrushes,or catails as the yanks call them. Good luck standing up to your waist in that to get less calories than you expend.

Waders! That's what we need. I'm a gonna put a pair on my shopping list! They are high in calories, that's the point. Paul Kirtley (Frontier Bushcraft) says they are the most important survival food in the UK. Rhizome is 52% carbs and 9% protein when processed into flour, but cooked in embers should be similar once you discard the outside layers.

[Frnc]

Ok well that's a definite no no then. Anyone got any more appealing ideas for when we have go undoubtedly go all-out feral and start living like animals?

Paul Kirtley, who says Cat Talis are the number 1 survival food, lists 4 more in his top 5.
Burdock
Pignut
Silverweed
Stinging Nettle
https://paulkirtley.co.uk/2013/five-sur ... ould-know/

John Yeoman lists 12 survival plants/categories
Dandelion
Berries
Seeds and nuts
Sorrel
Fat Hen
Comfrey
Wild Mushrooms - needless to say a massive topic, and there are many poisonous ones. I believe the safest is the Giant Puffball. Unless you eat a football by mistake.
Yarrow
Stinging Nettle
Chickweed
Plantain
Grass (!, yum)
https://www.permaculture.co.uk/readers- ... nts-part-1

British Army mentions
Stinging Nettles
Goose Grass/Cleavers
Brambles
I forget what else, look for short youtube vid.

Wild Food UK has a nice book, great website, and youtube vids.

[Frnc]

Watch out for a maggot that might be found in Cat Tail stems. Ray Mears says you can eat them! Think I'll pass.

[Smudge]

Ok well that's a definite no no then. Anyone got any more appealing ideas for when we have go undoubtedly go all-out feral and start living like animals?

Paul Kirtley, who says Cat Talis are the number 1 survival food, lists 4 more in his top 5.
Burdock
Pignut
Silverweed
Stinging Nettle
https://paulkirtley.co.uk/2013/five-sur ... ould-know/

John Yeoman lists 12 survival plants/categories
Dandelion
Berries
Seeds and nuts
Sorrel
Fat Hen
Comfrey
Wild Mushrooms - needless to say a massive topic, and there are many poisonous ones. I believe the safest is the Giant Puffball. Unless you eat a football by mistake.
Yarrow
Stinging Nettle
Chickweed
Plantain
Grass (!, yum)
https://www.permaculture.co.uk/readers- ... nts-part-1

British Army mentions
Stinging Nettles
Goose Grass/Cleavers
Brambles
I forget what else, look for short youtube vid.

Wild Food UK has a nice book, great website, and youtube vids.

For me based on what I see mostly:

Nettle
Burdock
Garlic Mustard
Rosebay Willowherb
Broadleaf Plantain

There are several other plants I see a lot of here and locally such as Dandelion, Thistle, Cherry and many more.

I've never seen silverweed nor pignut out and about.