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Cattail and Arrowhead Look-alikes: Toxic Iris
These look-alikes can make you seriously ill. Get the identification right before you eat anything. Before cattails flower, their flat blade-like leaves are confused with toxic iris (including yellow flag iris), which shares the same wet habitat. Cattail leaves are rounded and spongy in cross-section and grow from a central point, while iris leaves are flat and fan out in one plane.
Edibles people confuse with these
If you are foraging any of these, rule out the look-alikes above every time.
The notes above are an educational starting point, not a substitute for a field guide or an experienced forager. If you are not completely certain, do not eat it.
