Cattails

Cattails are perennial wetland plants with a brown, cigar-shaped "tail" at the top of stiff stalks.

• The "tail" is actually the female flower spike and is made up of tightly packed seeds.
• On top of the “tail” is a small, slender spike, which is the male portion of the flower.

Cattails also have pale green leaves. An entire cattail plant can grow to 6 feet tall.

What species of cattails grow in the Bay watershed?

Two species of cattails are common to the Bay region:

• The common or broad-leaved cattail, Typha latifolia, grows mainly in fresh water areas. Its leaves can be up to 2 inches wide.
• The narrow-leaved cattail, Typha angustifolia, ranges into brackish water areas. Its leaves are not as wide as the broad-leaved cattail's.

Where do cattails grow?

Dense colonies of cattails can be found in any area where the soil remains wet or flooded during the growing season: wetlands, marshes, bogs, ditches, ponds and stream banks.

Cattails can also develop into floating mats that provide food and cover for wildlife.

Other facts about cattails:

• Cattails can sometimes grow so rapidly that they crowd out other plant species. They also spread efficiently by rhizomes: one acre of cattails may derive from just a few plants.
• Native Americans have found interesting medicinal uses for parts of the cattail plant, such as preventing chafing; healing burns, sores and inflammation; curing kidney stones; and treating whooping cough. Cattails can also be used as food, drink and building materials.
• If you pull a tuft from a cattail's “tail,” it will expand into a handful of downy seeds.