cattail
Typha spp.
Family: Typhaceae.
Type: Perennial herbaceous plant.
Leaves: Long, linear leaves with parallel veins.
Fruit & Flower: Flower and fruit structure looks like a hot dog at the end of a branch.
Miscellaneous: The flower structure is necessary to distinguish to species. Cattail is not tolerant of salt water, so it is a useful marker in the field for the boundary between fresh water and salt water.