Typha latifolia Common Cattail

General

Found in marshes, swamps, and wet areas throughout North America, growing in water up to 1.5' deep. Common cattail is an important food source for wildlife and will also provide good cover. Common Cattail is often used in restoration projects and to improve water quality, as it will absorb heavy metals and other pollutants, and it is an aggressive colonizer. Most of the plant is edible for humans, but care should be taken when harvesting; if the water is contaminated, the plant may be full of pollutants and heavy metals.

Plant Description

Growing 4-8' tall, usually in dense clumps. The brown spike flowers grow from top of the central stem. Leaf blades are long and linear, simple and alternate. The brown spikes may persist well into winter.

Height (ft)
4-8'

Soil moisture
Moist to wet

Soil types
Rich loams, variable textures

Wetland indicator
OBL

Shade tolerance
Intermediate, Full sun to light shade, prefers sun

Bloom color
Brown

Bloom period
Spring

Drought tolerance
None

Salinity tolerance
Low

 

Distribution

Native and common throughout North America, from Alaska and south through Mexico. Introduced and invasive in Hawaii.

Additional information

Brown, Lauren. Grasses: An Identification Guide. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York City, 1979. LINK

Fassett, Norman C. A Manual of Aquatic Plants, First Edition. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York and London, 1940. LINK

Garbisch, Edgar W., and McIninch, Suzanne M. Propagation of Wetland Plants: Herbaceous Plants, Shrubs and Trees. Environmental Concern, Inc. 2003. LINK

Harris, James G., and Harris, Melinda Woolf. Plant Identification Terminology: An Illustrated Glossary, Second Edition. Spring Lake Publishing, Spring Lake, Utah. 2011. LINK

Hitchcock, A.S., and Chase, Agnes. Manual of the Grasses of the United States, Second Edition, Volume I. Dover Publications, Inc., New York, 1971. LINK

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2015. North American Plant Atlas. (http://bonap.net/napa). Chapel Hill, N.C. [maps generated from Kartesz, J.T. 2015. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP). (in press) LINK

McKenny, Margaret and Peterson, Roger Tory. A Field Guide to Wildflowers of Northeastern and North-central North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1968. LINK

Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb's Wildflower Guide. Laurence Newcomb, Mexico. 1977. LINK

USDA, NRCS. 2021. PLANTS Database (https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/, 08/20/2021). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA. LINK