domingensis 



T. glauca 



BOTANICAL 



This worldwide genus (Typha) has four species in the United 

 States, as mapped and named above. Cattails, also called flags or 

 tules, often dominate extensive marsh areas. They spread rap- 

 idly by means of rootstocks and also by means of minute, airborne 

 seeds which germinate readily on mud flats and occasionally in 

 shallow, clear water. The seeds can remain viable for at least 

 5 years. 



IMPORTANCE 



Cattails are excellent food and housebuilding material for musk- 

 rats, are eaten by nutria, serve as food to a limited extent for 

 ducks and geese in some localities, and provide nesting sites for 

 several species of waterfowl and rails ; the leaves have commercial 

 value for mats, chair seating, thatching, and barrel calking; and 

 the fluff from heads has been used as a substitute for kapok. On 

 the debit side, cattails are among the most widespread and abun- 

 dant weeds of waterfowl habitat and are serious pests on western 

 irrigation ditches. 



