The cattails (Typha): Interspecific ecological differences and problems of identification

Abstract

Accurately identifying the North American cattails (Typha) is important in lake management because Typha is ecologically important and the species differ in ecologically significant ways. Known ecological differences in geographical and ecological range, competitiveness, water-level tolerance, structure and density of shoots, sexual reproduction, and damage by insect parasites are reviewed. Narrow-leaved cattail (T. angustifolia) and hybrid cattail (T. X glauca = T. angustifolia X latifolia) are apparently spreading, often replacing T. latifolia in many disturbed, eutrophic sites in northeastern and north central regions. T. angustifolia and southern cattail (T. domingensis) indicate unstable habitat and nutrient-rich or brackish soil and have more vegetative and flowering shoots per unit area; hybrids suggest habitat disturbance; mixtures of species or seedlings from hybrids may improve success of stands in temporally or spacially variable environments. Ecotypic variation should be considered in choosing sources of propagules. Inaccurate manuals, the importance of microscopic characters, and the common occurrence of hybrids all contribute to the difficulty of identification. A guide to identification of the species and hybrids is provided. © 1986 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.