Common Cattail

(Typha latifolia)

Common Cattail (Typha latifolia L.)

Identification: Flowers brown, divided into lower female flowers and upper male flowers. Lower female flowers arranged in a sausage-like, persistent spike. Male flowers in a narrower, non-persistent tail above the female flowers. Male and female flower groups touch and are not separated by a wide stretch of bare stem. Leaves long, very narrow, arising from the base of the plant. Plant 3 to 9 feet in height.

Distribution: Throughout North America.

Habitat: Common Cattail is found in a variety of wet habitats including freshwater marshes, swamps, ditches, and along the shores of ponds and lakes.

Flowering period: May to July.

Similar Species: The male and female flower groups of Narrow-leaved Cattail are separate by a wide stretch of bare stem. The leaves of Narrow-leaved Cattail are narrower than those of Common Cattail.