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].

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