Caails, Caails, Everywhere
Caails are tall, upright wetland plants that can reach heights of up
to 10 feet. They are one of the most common plants in large marshes
and on the edge of ponds.
They are easy to idenfy by their brown, hot-dog shaped, flowering
spikes. The leaves are flat and blade-like. Their unique roots are called
rhizomes. The rhizomes spread horizontally underground sproung
new upright growth throughout the muddy soil.
The spread of caails across a pond or marsh is an important part of
how ponds and marshes eventually “succeed” into a field or meadow.
The thick clusters of the ca"ail plants are o#en the first plants to grow in bare muddy soils. This helps
prevent soil erosion in wetlands as their mass carpet of roots helps to hold the bare, wet soil in place.
And ca"ails love wet “feet.”
Caails can also spread through their seeds. The hot-dog shaped flower spikes hold over 10,000 li"le
flowers. Each one of the flowers releases a ny, white, fluffy seed each fall.
Each ny seed is a"ached to a thin, hair-like stalk. The clusters
of seeds look like creamy co"on pods that are easily spread
by the wind.
During World War II, the United States Navy decided that the
fluffy seed pods of the ca"ail plants could be used as stuffing
in life jackets (called life belts back then) for their sailors. They
could also be used in the flight jackets of pilots.
The war-me tests revealed that even a#er being submerged for over 100 hours, the “swamp down”
was sll buoyant. Ca"ails became important part of the war effort, helping to protect our soldiers if
their ship sank or their plane was shot down into the ocean.
Caails not only provide food for a variety of animals, but habitat for them as well. Due to the manner in which the plants grow so closely
together and connue to spread throughout a wetland, ca"ails create shelter, nest sites, building materials and food for everything from
muskrats to wild turkeys.
Many birds use the thick stands of caails to weave a secure nest slightly above the water’s surface. Finding the nest of marsh-loving redwinged blackbirds (above center & right) or marsh wrens, bi"erns and more, is almost impossible, thanks to the dense growth of ca"ails.
Muskrats have a close rela,onship with these plants. Muskrats cut down ca"ails to build their
homes and to feed themselves. They can actually eat ca"ails underwater because their lips can
close behind their two front incisors. This allows them to gnaw on ca"ails while their lips seal out
any water. Because muskrats are constantly cu5ng down ca"ails they help to keep ponds from
being completely covered with ca"ails. This in turn helps other animals, like ducks, who need
open water to feed in.
How about ca"ails for dinner? Caails are edible! Nave Americans used to ground the roots
(rhizomes) into meal that could be baked into bread or added to soup stock. Our early colonists
learned to do the same. The young, green early shoots can be eaten like asparagus. Supposedly,
you can eaten boil the flower stalks before they go to seed and eat it like corn-on-the-cob!