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Wildlife, Animals, and Plants
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Introductory
SPECIES: Typha angustifolia | Narrow-Leaved Cattail
ABBREVIATION :
TYPANG
SYNONYMS :
NO-ENTRY
SCS PLANT CODE :
TYAN
COMMON NAMES :
narrow-leaved cattail
narrow-leaf cattail
narrowleaved cattail
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name for narrow-leaved cattail is
Typha angustifolia L. in the family Typhaceae [12].
Typha angustifolia hybridizes with T. latifolia to form T. Xglauca
Godron. [14].
LIFE FORM :
Graminoid
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
COMPILED BY AND DATE :
S. A. Snyder, September 1993
LAST REVISED BY AND DATE :
NO-ENTRY
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Snyder, S. A. 1993. Typha angustifolia. In: Remainder of Citation
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Typha angustifolia | Narrow-Leaved Cattail
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Narrow-leaved cattail occurs from Nova Scotia south through parts of New
England along the coast to southern Florida. It occurs in the Midwest
south to southeastern Texas. Scattered populations are found throughout
Nebraska and Wyoming, parts of the Intermountain West, and along the
Pacific Northwest coast into central California [10].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES17 Elm - ash - cottonwood
FRES28 Western hardwoods
FRES37 Mountain meadows
FRES39 Prairie
FRES41 Wet grasslands
FRES42 Annual grasslands
STATES :
AL AR CA CT DE FL GA IL IN IA
KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT
NE NH NJ NY NC OH OR PA RI SC
TN TX UT VT VA WV WI WY MB NB
NS ON PQ
ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS :
ASIS BIBE BICA CACO CALO COLO
CUIS CUVA DEVA DINO FIIS GATE
GWMP GRTE GUMO GUIS INDU JOTR
LAME NERI ROMO SLBE WHSA YELL
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
1 Northern Pacific Border
2 Cascade Mountains
3 Southern Pacific Border
5 Columbia Plateau
8 Northern Rocky Mountains
9 Middle Rocky Mountains
10 Wyoming Basin
14 Great Plains
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K049 Tule marshes
K072 Sea oats prairie
K073 Northern cordgrass prairie
K074 Bluestem prairie
K092 Everglades
SAF COVER TYPES :
63 Cottonwood
235 Cottonwood - willow
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Narrow-leaved cattail is listed as a riparian dominance type in the
following publication:
Riparian dominance types of Montana [31]
Some associates of narrow-leaved cattail include sedges (Carex spp.),
bulrushes (Scirpus spp.), rushes (Juncus spp.), sphagnum mosses
(Sphagnum ssp.), lichens (Cladonia spp.), kalmia (Kalmia spp.), foxtail
barley (Critestion jubatum), reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinaceae),
oakleaf goosefoot (Chenopodium glaucum), curled dock (Rumex crispus),
panicgrass (Panicum spp.), cottonsedge (Eriophorum spissum), buttonbush
(Cephalanthus occidentalis), spiraea (Spiraea spp.), blueberries
(Vaccinium spp.), viburnum (Viburnum spp.), chufa flatsedge (Cyperus
esculentus), and dwarf huckleberry (Gaylussacia dumosa) [8,28].
VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Typha angustifolia | Narrow-Leaved Cattail
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
Narrow-leaved cattail is eaten by waterfowl and muskrats [24,27].
Muskrats also construct their lodges with cattail, and blackbirds use
cattail for perches [31]. Extensive monotypic stands of cattail are
usually poor habitat for wildlife [1].
PALATABILITY :
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
Food values for leaf litter of the narrow-leaved cattail hybrid, T.
Xglauca, have been listed [22]:
type time %nitrogen %phosphorus %ash
green early July 2.77 0.29 6.55
senesced early Feb. 0.63 0.05 3.89
COVER VALUE :
Narrow-leaved cattail provides important cover for muskrats and a
variety of waterfowl [4,6,27]. White-tailed deer use cattail for cover
[31].
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
Narrow-leaved cattail is used in prairie wetland restoration [17]. It
is used to create wetlands for mitigating the effects of wastewater
treatment plants and landfills [9]. A shoreline restoration project to
provide cover for largemouth bass and other fish determined that rhizome
transplants have better survivorship than transplanted greenhouse stock [7].
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
Rhizomes are eaten whole or ground into flour. Shoots, seeds, flowers,
pollen, and stems are also eaten. Stems and leaves are woven into
baskets and rope or used in roofing, bedding, and paper manufacturing
[10,15]. Many other uses for narrow-leaved cattail have been documented
[21].
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Although narrow-leaved cattail is useful in wetland restoration
projects, without control it will form dense stands that eventually
outcompete other valuable wildlife food and cover species [4]. It can
be controlled with herbicides and through marsh drawdowns or by flooding
over freshly cut stubble to reduce oxygen to the rhizomes [15].
A study of the effects of cutting cattail, then flooding the area,
showed that stem densities were reduced by 89 percent the first year.
When cut a second time, densities were reduced by 99 percent. No
fruiting heads or seed germination occured following cutting and
flooding [1].
Draining a New Brunswick marsh caused a 36 percent increase in
narrow-leaved cattail cover and a 50 percent increase in stem density.
However, plant height and basal diameter were reduced by 16.54 percent
and 7.14, respectively [30].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Typha angustifolia | Narrow-Leaved Cattail
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Narrow-leaved cattail is an erect, rhizomatous perennial that grows 3 to
6 feet (1-2 m) tall [15]. Its lateral rhizomes, produced at the leaf
base, can grow up to 27.6 inches (70 cm) long and 0.8 to 1.6 inches (2-4
cm) in diameter [15]. Its leaves are 2 to 5 feet (0.6-1.5 m) long, very
narrow, and flattened [10,12]. Flowers grow on erect stalks, and the
fruits are cigar-shaped and 2 to 6 inches (5-15 cm) long. Fruits contain
soft, downy seeds [10].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Helophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Cattails reproduce by seed and rhizomes. Their primary means of
colonizing is by seed, and once established, colonies are maintained by
vegetative reproduction [16]. Seeds are wind pollinated and require
moisture, but not oxygen for germination [15]. Laboratory studies have
shown that seeds germinate best in water 1 inch (2.5 cm) deep, but can
germinate in water as deep as 16 inches (40 cm) [4]. In the field seed
germination usually occurs following exposure of mudflats.
Narrow-leaved cattail was found in wetland seedbanks that had been
drained for more than 70 years [32].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Narrow-leaved cattail grows in marshes, wet meadows, fens, estuaries,
bogs, ditches, and along lake shores. It is tolerant of saline
environments [15,31]. Where T. angustifolia and T. latifolia occur
together, T. angustifolia usually colonizes the deeper waters (31.5 in.
[80 cm] or more) [16].
In Utah, narrow-leaved cattail occurs in peaty soils of salt marshes and
colonizes deep sloughs and sloping marsh perimeters [5].
In Wisconsin, water levels seem to be the most important factor affecting
cattail occurrence and establishment [4]. Typha spp. grow best under
stable moisture conditions, saturated soil, and water up to 1.5 feet
(45 cm) deep. Narrow-leaved cattail can grow in water as deep as 2.5
feet (76 cm) [4]. After establishment, it can tolerate fluctuating
water levels including periods of drought and deep flooding. In
Wisconsin cattail species usually grow in soils that are fertile and
nutrient rich [4]. Narrow-leaved cattail height growth is best in hot
temperatures but does not seem to be adversely affected by extreme cold [4].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Facultative Seral Species
Narrow-leaved cattail is considered an early to mid-seral species and a
dominant in disturbed wetlands [15]. In the absence of disturbance,
narrow-leaved cattail dominates marshes in dense, monotypic stands [18].
Under these conditions productivity is lowered because of litter
buildup, and narrow-leaved cattail outcompetes other species.
Narrow-leaved cattail replaces cordgrass (Spartina spp.) in marshes
where coastal wetlands are diked or tidally restricted [2,23].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
Leaves emerge in the spring, flowering is initiated in early to
mid-summer, and the greatest clonal growth occurs in the fall [15].
Under good conditions, seeds germinate from May to September [4].
Aerial shoot growth continues into November or until the first freeze
when plants go dormant [20]. Development times in a Wisconsin marsh
were: April: aerial shoot sprout, new rhizome formation, leaves; May:
new shoots; June: spikes formed; July: basal shoots and flower head
development; August through September: maturation of flower head [4].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Typha angustifolia | Narrow-Leaved Cattail
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Cattail rhizomes sprout following fire [4].
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
Rhizomatous herb, rhizome in soil
Ground residual colonizer (on-site, initial community)
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Typha angustifolia | Narrow-Leaved Cattail
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Burning topkills narrow-leaved cattail and reduces stem density [1].
Fires that burn into the peat layer can kill cattail [4].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
The effects of fire on the narrow-leaved cattail hybrid T. Xglauca were
determined for a New Brunswick marsh. The marsh was divided into two
sections, each containing four blocks of four plots. In each section one
block was burned in early and mid-June, one was burned in early and
mid-July, and one was burned in mid-August and mid-September.
Vegetation was measured the third postfire year. Following each fire,
plots were either drained or flooded. On the drained sites T. Xglauca
cover, density, and height were least on the plots burned in July.
Other burned plots did not differ significantly from the control. On
the flooded sites July-burned plots had greater T. Xglauca cover than
control plots. Other burned plots did not differ significantly from the
control [30].
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Narrow-leaved cattail will sprout following fire if rhizomes are not
consumed [1,4]. For detailed information, refer to the CASE STUDIES
FRAME.
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Fire can be used to reduce aboveground debris, opening up stands for
nesting waterfowl. Burning in winter when rhizomes are buried in ice or
in frozen soil usually will not kill cattail. If the objective is to
create more open stands for wildlife, burning should be conducted in
spring following a relatively dry winter, when the marsh is dry [4].
Cattail marshes are difficult to burn 2 years in a row because
accumulated debris is needed for fuel. The thick bases of cattail
species are often the last part of the plant to dry out and are
difficult to burn.
Canada geese, herons, egrets, and other waterfowl use burned marsh areas
for feeding and nesting [4].
Draining and burning marshes during July inhibits rapid growth of
cattail species. Several fires during summer will release nutrients if
a portion of the organic mat is removed [30]. Draining and burning
before a thick mat layer forms is necessary for slowing palludification.
Fires on nutrient-poor fens can reduce species diversity and create
oligotrophic bogs, but on nutrient-rich sites fires will not typically
reduce species diversity [30].
FIRE CASE STUDIES
SPECIES: Typha angustifolia | Narrow-Leaved Cattail
CASE NAME :
St. Clair National Wildlife Area
REFERENCE :
Ball, J. P. 1984 [1]
SEASON/SEVERITY CLASSIFICATION :
The fires were conducted in late winter, possibly in February of the
first year and March of the second year. Fires burned over ice and were
considered low intensity.
STUDY LOCATION :
The fires were conducted at the St. Clair National Wildlife Area on the
shore of Lake St. Clair in southwestern Ontario.
PREFIRE VEGETATIVE COMMUNITY :
The principle vegetation was cattail, mostly consisting of Typha Xglauca
(a hybrid), although narrow-leaved cattail (T. angustifolia) and common
cattail (T. latifolia) were also present. The author states that this
marsh contained a "continuum of phenotypes spanning the two parental
types" (T. angustifolia and T. latifolia) and assumes that all three
entities would respond similarly to treatment. General stand conditions
were not given.
TARGET SPECIES PHENOLOGICAL STATE :
Treatments were applied when Typha spp. stands were dormant.
SITE DESCRIPTION :
Soils are Rego Humic Gleysols. The study was conducted in a marsh on a
lake's edge where water levels were artificially controlled.
FIRE DESCRIPTION :
A total of 19 circular plots ranging in size from 0.05 to 0.37 acres
(0.02-0.15 ha) were burned. Fires were started with propane from a
flamethrower and began just after dawn. The temperature was near
freezing, and the wind speed was less than 12 miles per hour (20 km/hr).
Rate of spread was between 0.6 to 5 miles per hour (1-8 km/hr) and varied
with Typha spp. density and wind speed. Flame lengths averaged just
over 6 feet (2 m), but sometimes exceeded 21 feet (7 m). Fire intensity
was considered low until the frost was melted off vegetation.
FIRE EFFECTS ON TARGET SPECIES :
Following the fires and spring thawing, the marsh was flooded and
reached a maximum depth in April, covering the cattail stubble. No
depths were given, but water levels were maintained within 0.8 inches (2
cm) until the end of the growing season.
Fires reduced stem density an average of 70 percent compared to control
plots. Cattails that survived burning were shorter than controls: 8.9
feet (2.7 m) tall compared to 9.6 feet (2.9 m) tall. No fruiting heads
were produced following fires, although some occurred on control sites.
No seeds germinated on treated or control sites. No stems occurred at
water depths of 30.7 inches (78 cm) following burning.
FIRE MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS :
Fire is an effective tool for opening up dense cattail stands. If
marshes are burned in winter, fires are less intense and easier to
control. Following burning cattail can be killed by submerging stubble
to cut off oxygen to the rhizomes. In this study slow-moving backfires
left the shortest stubble and, therefore, water levels did not have to
be raised much. However, stubble layers were left under the ice, and if
snow builds up on the ice before burning, the stubble layer may be even
taller. Under these conditions water levels may not cover the stubble
layer enough to kill the cattail. Burning in early winter or early
spring might reduce this problem. Burning the same sites year after
year may not be feasible because the regrowth is not enough to carry
fire.
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Typha angustifolia | Narrow-Leaved Cattail
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Index
Related categories for Species: Typha angustifolia
| Narrow-Leaved Cattail
|
 |
