Typha latifolia
Illustration: USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 vols. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York. Vol. 1: 68.
What is Common Cattail?
Physical Characteristics
- Course & thick
Leaves:
- Essentially flat
- Pale or grayish green
- 0.23-1 inches wide
- Often exceeding the stem
- Blade gets smaller as it approaches the top
- Rarely cut off at end
Flowers:
Stem:
- Up to about 9 feet tall
- White base
Where Does it Grow?
USDA, NRCS. 2018. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
Common cattail can be found in marshes, in shallow water, or along streams.
Pros and Cons of Cattail
The rhizomes and lower leaf portions of cattails are consumed by nutria, muskrats, and geese. Submerged portions of all aquatic plants provide habitats for many micro and macro invertebrates. These invertebrates in turn are used as food by fish and other wildlife species (e.g. ducks). After aquatic plants die, their decomposition by bacteria and fungi provides food (called “detritus”) for many aquatic invertebrates.