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Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

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Typha domingensis (Southern cattail)
Romfh, Peggy

Typha domingensis

Typha domingensis Pers.

Southern Cattail

Typhaceae (Cat-Tail Family)

Synonym(s): Typha angustata

USDA Symbol: TYDO

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), HI (I), PR (N), VI (N)

The Southern Cattail is a member of the cattail family (family Typhaceae). Cattails are aquatic or marsh herbs with creeping rootstocks, long, narrow leaves, and tiny flowers crowded in terminal spikes, with male (staminate) ones at the top and female (pistillate) below. Spikes above bracts which fall early. There are about 18 species in one genus, which occur in temperate and tropical regions.

Typha domingensis aggressively invades and forms nearly pure stands in brackish or nutrient-enriched wetlands in the Florida Everglades and elsewhere (FNA).

 

From the Image Gallery

6 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Breeding System: Flowers Unisexual , Monoecious
Fruit Type: Follicle
Size Notes: Up to about 12 feet tall, often shorter.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White , Yellow , Brown
Bloom Time: Mar , Apr , May , Jun , Jul , Aug

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , AZ , CA , CO , DE , FL , GA , HI , KS , LA , MD , MO , MS , NC , NE , NM , NV , OK , OR , SC , TX , UT , VA , WY

Find Seed or Plants

Find seed sources for this species at the Native Seed Network.

National Wetland Indicator Status

Region:AGCPAKAWCBEMPGPHIMWNCNEWMVE
Status: OBL OBL OBL OBL OBL OBL OBL OBL OBL
This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.1 (Lichvar, R.W. 2013. The National Wetland Plant List: 2013 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2013-49: 1-241). Click here for map of regions.

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Nueces River Authority - Uvalde, TX
Native Seed Network - Corvallis, OR

Herbarium Specimen(s)

NPSOT 0554C Collected Jun 25, 1988 in Bexar County by Harry Cliffe
NPSOT 0554A Collected Jun 25, 1988 in Bexar County by Harry Cliffe
NPSOT 0554B Collected Jun 25, 1988 in Bexar County by Harry Cliffe

3 specimen(s) available in the Digital Herbarium

Web Reference

Webref 30 - Calflora (2018) Calflora
Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Typha domingensis in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Typha domingensis in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Typha domingensis

Metadata

Record Modified: 2022-10-21
Research By: TWC Staff

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