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].

Related categories for Species: Typha angustifolia | Narrow-Leaved Cattail