Cattail

Cattail (Typha):

Cattails are members of the genus Typha. They are wetland plants, and are usually one of the first species that can be found growing in newly exposed areas of wet mud. This is partly due to the fact that they use a wind-based method of seed dispersal, sending many small seeds floating off to find potentially fertile ground, giving their species excellent ecological mobility. Cattails are tall plants, and often outcompete other species living in wetlands by growing thickly and blocking the sunlight to everything below. They have extremely well-developed aerenchyma, which is a term for the air channels in the stems and roots of some plants that can help to transport oxygen and other gases. Even dead cattail stalks can still transport oxygen, making them very tolerant of submersion in water. Cattails are mostly edible, and in fact the outer layer of young plants is sometimes referred to as Cossack asparagus in Russia.