CATTAILS 



Typha spp. 



Cattails are widely distributed and are well known. They will invade 

 almost any wet place, being one of the first plants to occupy a newly 

 inundated area. They are quite easily recognized by their growth of 

 stout jointless stems, linear flat leaves, and cylindrical flower spikes. 

 These plants produce fleshy underground stems that will spread a 

 single individual over an extensive area. These underground stems or 

 rhizomes also perform as food storage organs, having a high starch 

 content. The cattail rhizome is readily eaten by aquatic animals, such 

 as muskrats. 



The two species most commonly observed are T. latifoliaL., the 

 common or broadleaf cattail, and T. angustifoliaL., the narrowleaf 

 cattail. When these two species occur together, a certain amount of 

 hybridization will produce individuals of divergent character. 



Identification is readily accomplished by study of the flower spikes, 

 which consist of two portions; the female or pistillate portion of the 

 spike is below, and the male or staminate portion is above. The 

 broadleaf cattail is recognized by its more persistent pistillate or 

 seed-producing flowers, which are on the lower portion of the brown 

 flower spike that is tail-like in appearance. The male portion of the 

 flower spike is smaller in diameter, less compact, and soon disappears 

 in midsummer leaving a tapered stem. The narrowleaf cattail, from 

 its common name, is recognized by its more slender leaves and a 

 definite separation that occurs between the male and female parts of 

 the flower spike. This characteristic is clearly seen in the younger 

 flower and becomes less definable as the seeds mature. 



Each flower spike will produce hundreds of seeds that are 

 disseminated by air and water over wide areas to spread the species. 



Cattails are found on most Western irrigation systems and are 

 especially troublesome in drains and slow-moving water of shallow 

 channels. These plants will spread throughout a drain in a short time, 

 thereby reducing the potential carrying capacity and increasing silt 

 deposition. 



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