The cattail (Typha latifolia) is a monocotyledonous plant of the family of the Typhaceae. It grows mainly in areas with fresh water but often it is easy to find it also in brackish lands. It can reach even 250 cm in height. The female inflorescences are formed by thousands of tiny flowers of brown color surrounded by hairs.
The leaves of cattail were anciently used to make baskets. The inflorescences of cattail, which recalls the particular shaped of sausages, brown cylindrical spikes, long up to 30 cm, are nowadays used especially as decoration by florists. The cattail is also included among the species of plant used in the phytoremediation systems of polluted water.