Wild Food Guide — 'H'

This is the description page for Reedmace (Typha spp) and includes a description as well as an image, if available and a selection of recipes from this site that relates to the wild foodstuff: Reedmace.

The Reedmace, Typha spp (also known as bulrush, bullrush, cattail, punks and corndog grass), represents a genus of about 11 species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the Typhaceae (reedmace) family that are typically found in wetland habitats across the Northern Hemisphere.

Reedmace are wetland plants, typically 1 to 7 m tall with spongy, strap-like leaves and starchy, creeping stems (rhizomes). The leaves are alternate and mostly basal to a simple, jointless stem that eventually bears the flowers. The rhizomes spread horizontally beneath the surface of muddy ground to start new upright growth, and the spread of cattails is an important part of the process of open water bodies being converted to vegetated marshland and eventually dry land. Typha plants are monoecious (bearing both male and female flowers), wind-pollinated and bear unisexual flowers developing in dense, complex spikes. The male flower spike develops at the top of the vertical stem, just above the female flower spike (and is typicaly separated by a short length of stem (see picture). The dense cluster of female flowers forms a cylindrical spike some 10 to as much as 40 cm long and 1 to 4 cm broad. Seeds are minute (about 0.2 mm long), and attached to a thin hair or stalk, which effects wind dispersal. Typha are often among the first wetland plants to colonize areas of newly exposed wet mud. Of the many species, ypha latifolia is the most widespread, extending across the entire temperate northern hemisphere. Typha plants grow along lake margins and in marshes, often in dense colonies, and are sometimes considered a weed in managed wetlands. The plant's root systems help prevent erosion, and the plants themselves are often home to many insects, birds and amphibians.

In terms of their edible uses, reedmaces are very versatile. The rhizomes are a pleasant, nutritious and energy-rich food source, generally harvested from late Autumn to early Spring. These are starchy, but also fibrous, so the starch must be scraped or sucked from the tough fibers. The rhizomes can also be dried and sifted to yield a starchy flour. In addition to the rhizomes, reedmace have little-known, underground, lateral stems that are quite tasty. In late spring and early summer, the bases of the leaves, while they are young and tender, can be eaten raw or cooked and are useful as a bamboo shoot substitute. As the male flower spike is developing in early summer, it can be broken off and eaten like corn on the cob. In mid-summer, once the male flowers are mature, the pollen can be collected and used as a flour supplement or thickener.

The immature male flower is edible when it is still covered in its papery sheath (much like a corn husk). Snap off the flower stem remove the sheath then boil and serve with oil or butter (they are a little dry to eat on their own). If collecting pollen, find male flower spike that has not yet shed its pollen (look for bright yellow tips above the green reedmace flower). The flowers are typically at their best when small flies can be seen clinging to the male flowers. To collect the pollen, carefully bend the flower into a collecting sack, and then tap it to release the pollen (it's not unisual to get at leat a tablespoon from a single flower). Be careful, however, not to break the stem. If you do, the pollen explodes off the tip, and the female flowers will fail to develop seed.

To harvest reedmace shoots, select the largest shoots that haven't begun to flower (best done in late May or early June) then use both hands to separate the outer leaves from the core, going all the way to the base of the plant. Grab the inner core with both hands, as close to the base as possible, and pull it out. Peel and discard the outermost layers of leaves from the top down, until you reach the edible part, which is soft enough to pinch through with your thumbnail (note that you will need to peel more layers from the top of the plant). You will have less waste if you do this in the wild, but preparing the shoots will cover your hands with a sticky, mucilaginous jelly that you need to scrape off. However, if you do this at home you can collect the jelly and use it, okra style, as a thickener for stews.

Reedmace Pollen Bread
Reedmace Pollen Waffles
Reedmace Pollen Pancakes
Reedmace Flour
Chicken and Wild Food Stir-fry
Reedmace Starch Bouille
Reedmace Flowers in Cheese Sauce
Cossack's Asparagus
Reedmace, Prawn and Crow Garlic Fried Rice
Chilled Almond Milk and Reedmace Shoot Soup
Reedmace Pollen Noodles
Egg Noodles with Reedmace Pollen