Cattail (Typha latifolia)
Tracheophyta: Angiosperm: Dicot: Cattail (Typhaceae)
Non-native from Eurasia
Habitat: edges of ponds and lakes.
ID Features: brown seed spikes, tall grass-like leaves.
Natural History: The cattail is a wetland plant that grows, usually rooted below water line, at the edges of lakes and ponds. It is a grasslike plant that grows to about 5 feet tall. It is totally edible! Its flowers are brown.
Missouri Wildflowers by Edgar Denison, 5th Edition, Missouri Department of Conservation, ©1998.