Hybrid cattail
Typha × glauca · Aquatic plants
Out of the water · Photo: Maxton Strait / CC BY
Also called White cattail
How to identify Hybrid cattail
- Leaf width between the two parent cattails
- Short gap of 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches between spikes
- Often taller than either parent, up to 10 feet
- Very dense, uniform stands
Similar plants
Broadleaf cattail has no gap between spikes; narrowleaf cattail has a longer gap and narrower leaves; genetic testing is sometimes needed.
Growth profile
| Growing season | Shoots emerge in spring, flowers in early summer, dies back after frost and overwinters as rhizomes. |
|---|---|
| Starts growing | About 50 F soil and water; full sun |
| Light | Needs full sun |
| Depth | Moist shoreline to about 4 feet of water |
| How it spreads | Mainly rhizomes; seeds less fertile than the parents |
| Habitat | Shallow marshes, ponds and disturbed shorelines, especially with nutrient rich runoff. |
Why it matters in a lake
Typically more vigorous than either parent and forms nearly solid stands with deep litter layers that crowd out other plants.
Where it is found
- Idaho: Occasional
- Oregon: Occasional
- Wyoming: Rare
Classification
| Kingdom | Plantae |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Tracheophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Poales |
| Family | Typhaceae |
| Scientific name | Typha × glauca |
Broadleaf cattail
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Baltic rushNeed a hand?
Is it taking over your lake?
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