Cattails

Let the Sun Shine In: Cattail Pollen in the Kitchen - Gardenista

(Lots of info on this site.)

Above: The cattail in the middle is just right—not too dry, not too green, and filled with pollen.

Cattails are species of Typha,a reedy perennial that flourishes where fresh water and land intersect gently. Shy of swift currents, they crowd the edges of ponds and lakes, stopping short of deep water, and knit themselves across seeps and wetlands. The plants are widespread, globally, occurring on almost every continent. In South Africa the native species is T. capensis. In the United States I collect the early summer flowers of common cattail (T. latifolia) and the diminutive, narrow-leafed cattail, T. angustifolia.