Plants that look like corn dogs or hot dogs may sound absurd, but several plant species resemble the meaty sausage. Technically, the Bulrush and Cattail Plant are the generic names specified for the corn dog-shaped plants.
Interestingly, the special-shaped specie has a dedicated day under its wing in the USA, making it a renowned plant. Read further to find out the top 5 plants that look like corn dog.
Contents
List of Plants That Look Like Corn Dogs
1. Typha Latifolia (Common Cattail)
Common cattail is a semi-aquatic, also known as common cattail, found in the northern and southern areas of America, some parts of Africa, and Eurasia.
These marsh plants are often found in flooded areas like lakes, ponds, shorelines, and areas where there is fresh water. Specifically, the water height should not exceed 2.6 feet or 0.8 meters, enough to submerge the stem, leaving the slender leaves right above the surface of the water level.
The plant has an enormous amount of rhizomes available in the fall or winter season. When broken into two, the plant releases a burst of fluffy seeds in the form of a misty cloud. Therefore, the plant opts for wind pollination to transfer seeds.
Above the stalk comes the female seed portion, and above it comes the male pollen. The cattail has two flowers; the male flower and the female flower.
The male pollen is responsible for fertilizing the female seed flower, which sits right underneath. In midsummer, the male pollen flower turns yellow, indicating that the pollination process is about to occur.
The cattail taste varies on the sweetness scale; perfectly ripened has a tender sweet taste, resembling the cucumber and celery mixture, a perfect source of sweetness for people on a diet or diabetics.
It can be eaten raw, cooked, roasted, or added to several dishes to make them taste and look extraordinary. Furthermore, the heads of the old Latifolia plants, cattail fluff, are an excellent genesis for making a fire since it catches spark quickly and light for a longer duration.
2. Typha Angustifolia (Narrowleaf Cattail)
Typha Angustifolia is very similar in characteristics to the common cattail, except it has different dimensions. The wild corn dog plant can be a maximum of 12 inches (30 cm) with a width of 1.6 inches (4 cm).
The Typical Angustifolia is often located in marshes, lakes, irrigation canals, and wherever freshwater is available of at least 6 feet. Thus, in contrast, common cattail grows on shorelines, whereas this specie grows in deep waters.
To differentiate between narrow-leaf and common cattail varieties, preferably wait until the late summer when the flowers bloom fully. The flowers of this species are narrower, and 0.8 to 5 inches (2 to 12 centimeters) between the male pollen and female portion of the plant are prominent features that help distinguish between the two varieties.
The narrow-leaf cattail is monoecious, meaning they have female and male flowers on a single stem, like the common cattail, and have similar pollination phenomena. This specie of cattail can survive harsher conditions of silt and other material carried by the nearby waters; therefore, it forms monocultures over its covered area.
The narrow-leaf plant has contributed significantly to its natural habitat, providing a breeding ground for marine fishes and housing for bird’s nests. Moreover, the clumps of the cattail protect the aquatic and other wildlife habitats by giving shade and proper coverage over the area.
Plant seeds are pivotal for industries to stuff mattresses and pillows due to their soft and cushioned texture. Many people use narrow-leaf-shaped plants for making mats, baskets, and furniture.
This specie is allelopathic. It discourages the growth of other plants in the habitat, maintaining a solid and dominant position. The chemicals produced by the plant inhibit the prospering phase of different species, resulting in no competition to survive.
3. Typha Laxmannii (Graceful Cattail)
Typha Laxmannii is a graceful cattail because of its small stature and delicate texture. Typha Laxmannii grows to only three feet in height, making it ideal for backyard ponds or rain gardens.
Other cattail species can rise to around 10 feet tall from the ground, which is impressive for plants growing on the edge of a majestic lake but unwieldy for the High Line’s small wetland planting or an urban garden.
Because of its small size, the Graceful Cattail is the most popular Cattail variety. Because the catkins are slimmer than the Common Cattail, they fit better in flower arrangements.
Cattail monocultures, including native cattails like Latifolia and Angustifolia, are common across the country. Conservation and restoration methods manage and adequately handle the populations of species.
Each stem contains two sets of tiny, closely packed flowers. The male flowers are yellow-brown and adjacent to the top of the stem; the female flowers are yellow-green and one or two inches below.
Male flowers wither and fall away from the branch once pollen has fallen from the male onto the female flowers. The female flowers are allowed to mature into the commonly associated fuzzy brown cattails.
Because of relatively sophisticated air channels called aerenchyma in their leaves and stems, which deliver oxygen to the root systems, they can survive submerged in water. Cattails are adept propagators.
They reproduce sexually via wind-blown seed but spread most aggressively via rhizomatous root systems. While cattails play an essential role in healthy wetlands ecosystems, they can quickly take over when systems are disturbed or soils are enriched with nutrients from agricultural runoff.
4. Typha Domingensis (Southern Cattail)
Wetland plants with tall, skinny green stalks and brown, fluffy, corn stalk flowering heads are known as southern cattail. The leaves are pale yellow-green and alternate, long, streamlined, plain, and sheathing. Each stem has 6-9 convex leaves on one side and approximately 5/8 inch wide on the other.
Multiple small flowers stack into an 8-foot-long stem’s cylindrical spike, where each flower of the male and female segments separates by an approximate distance of 1- 2 inches (2.5-5 cm). The upper yellow male flowers and lower cinnamon-brown cornstalk-shaped female flowers make up the two sections.
The position of the male and female flowers distinguishes the southern specie from other Typha varieties. The flower clusters of the Common Cattail are close together, whereas the flower clusters of the cattail are one to four inches apart.
Iron chelating activity, as well as superoxide and nitric oxide scavenging activity, is demonstrated by water extracts of Typha domingensis fruit, female flower, and male flower.
However, only the fruit and female flower extracts proved alpha-glucosidase inhibitory potential. Moreover, Typha domingensis proved to be very effective at reducing microbial spoilage of agricultural water.
5. Typha Minima (Miniature Cattail)
Typha Minima is commonly known as dwarf reed mace and belongs to the Typhaceae family. The plant has a perfect little form and is usually grown on small ponds or sunken tubs under ideal conditions.
The Typha Minima is not categorized as poisonous. Caltha palustris(Marsh marigold), Myosotis Scorpioides (Water forget-me-not), and Iris Pseudacorus (Yellow flag iris) are the plants that look well with Typha Minima.
It was found to be growing in Asia and Europe on clay and loam and can be expanded on soil of any pH. The plant’s depth is zero to four inches, and it grows up to 11 to 23 inches (30 to 60 centimeters), spreading up to the exact measurements as well.
Typha Minima is usually grown in spring (mid, late), summer (early, middle, late), and fall. The flowering time is May to August, while the seed is fully ripe from June to September. It needs full or partial sun exposure and would not grow in the shade.
Its flowers can be identified as brown seed heads. Cattail pollen, oil, and seeds are the edible parts, while oil is the most used. There are a lot of medical uses for this species of plant too. Before a new set is grown, dead leaves and old flower stems are usually pulled out. Furthermore, it is reported to be disease free.
Gardners don’t have to worry about pests, too, as it doesn’t get any bugs either. It is straightforward to grow as it is minimal compared to its other cousins. Gardners need to be varied as it fills up their container quickly, so it needs to be relocated to a new container every three to four years. But it is also starving as it drinks up the water quite fast.
This relatively uncommon plant can only be found in a few subtropics of European and Asian areas. This plant can only survive an inch of water over its roots because it is so tiny. Because many gardeners use it as a pond decoration, the Cattail is a popular unique-shaped plant to buy online. It improves the look and feels of any backyard feature.
Conclusion
Considering the associated benefits to the aquatic, human, and other lives, cattail species should be planted promptly. Moreover, the deliciousness and variety it brings to our food must encourage readers to try it once at least.
It is perplexing to see plants in the wild that look like human-created food. But Mother Earth never ceases to amaze, doesn’t she?
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