Click on the name of a different pollen below to find out more about it,
or click on the other microscope for a different view of this pollen.

Bur Oak Cattail Cocklebur Cottonwood
Dandelion Kentucky Bluegrass Pigweed Ragweed
River Birch Russian Thistle Sunflower White Pine
Plant:Pollen:Microscope:

Cattail
Typha latfolia

When a cattail blooms, you can see where it gets its name. The fuzzy brown flowers stick straight up like tails of frightened cats. These are the female flowers. The tiny male flowers that make pollen are harder to see. They grow along the spike above the brown cone. About the time that tree pollens disappear from the air, cattails and grasses release their pollen into the air. Cattails shed great amounts of pollen, but most people aren't allergic to it. The pollen once made a good substitute for flour because it is so starchy. Cattails like to get their feet wet. They grow in marshes and streams throughout North America. They are also popular for backyard ponds and indoor flower arrangements. But look out if you bring cattails into the house, even if you aren't allergic to the pollen. The flower seeds are attached to bits of fluff that catch the wind. They burst out of the cone like unruly tufts of hair. The soft down was once used by Native Americans to diaper their babies, and small mammals still line their nests with it.