Cattail is a slender perennial aquatic emergent plant, growing to 1.5–2 m tall. It has dense fibrous root and has branched creeping rhizomes, 2–4 cm in diameter. It is normally found growing in shallow, flooded conditions and easily get established along a pond shoreline or in waters one to 1.5 feet or less in depth. They are one of the most common plants in large marshes and on the edge of ponds. Two species are most common in US: broad leaved cattail (T. latifolia) and narrow leaf cattail (T. angustifolia).
| Name | Cattail |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Typha latifolia |
| Native | Throughout the temperate northern hemisphere |
| Common/English Name | Cattail, Lesser Bulrush, Lesser Reed-Mace, Nail- Rod, Narrow-Leaf Cattail, Narrowleaf Cattail, Reed-Mace, Small Reed-Mace, Small Bulrush. |
| Name in Other Languages | Nepalese : Khar Uruguay : Totora Arabic : Bardî Estonian : Ahtalehine Hundinui Australia : Cumbungi Colombia : Enea Finnish : Kapeaosmankäämi Dominican Republic : Enea Slovascina : Rogoz Ozkolistni Argentina : Totora Dutch : Kleine Lisdodde Spanish : Anea Brazil : Taboa Turkish : Su Kam1sh Fiji : Deniruve Polish : Pałka Wąskolistna French : Chandelle Thailand : Kok Chaang German : Schmalblättriger Rohrkolben Swedish : Smalkaveldum Danish : Smalbladet Dunhammer India : Hogla Czech : Orobincem Uzkolistym Vietnam : Bồn Bồn Indonesia : Purun Welsh : Cynffon Y Gath Culddail Belgium : Kleine Lisdodde Italian : Lisca A Foglie Strette Venezeula : Enea Malaysia : Banat Philippines : Homay-homay Chinese : Pu Huang Portuguese : Tabua-Estreita Esperanto : Tifao Malgranda Russian : Rogoz Uzkolistnyj Gaelic : Coigeal Chaol Norwegian : Smal Dunkjevle Japanese : Hime Gama |
| Plant Growth Habit | Slender perennial aquatic emergent plant |
| Growing Climate | Grows in shallow fresh water of lakes, rivers, ponds, marshes and ditches in valley marshes, coastal sites at low elevation. |
| Plant Size | 1.5–2 m tall |
| Root | Dense fibrous root |
| Rhizome | Branched creeping rhizomes, 2–4 cm in diameter, commonly 70 cm or even longer. |
| Stem | Unbranched and cylindrical, 100–200 cm |
| Leaf | 60–100 cm long, linear, narrow leaves, 5–10 mm wide and deep green. |
| Flower | Cylindric inflorescence has staminate flowers above and pistillate flowers below with a naked axis between the staminate and pistillate flowers |
| Flowering Season | May to July |
| Fruit Shape and Size | Dry, dehiscent, ellipsoid follicle with long hairs containing large numbers of seeds |
| Fruit Color | Green during early summer and turns brown and fuzzy in the fall and following spring. |
| Seed | Small pendulous seeds, with a straight, narrow embryo 0.2 millimetres (0.008 in) long, and attached to fine hairs |
| Varieties/Types |
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| Major Nutrition | Manganese, Mn 0.144 mg (6.26%) Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 4.3 µg (3.58%) Magnesium, Mg 12 mg (2.86%) Total dietary Fiber 0.9 g (2.37%) Iron, Fe 0.17 mg (2.13%) Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) 0.023 mg (1.77%) Sodium, Na 21 mg (1.40%) Phosphorus, P 9 mg (1.29%) Potassium, K 59 mg (1.26%) Calcium, Ca 10 mg (1.00%) |
| Health Benefits |
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| Calories in 1 shoot (19.0 g) | 5 K cal |