Cattail hybrid
(Typha x glauca)
General description:
Perennial, erect wetland plant reaching 5-10’ tall, often with a submersed base. Hybrid cattail is a hybrid of common (broad-leaved) and narrow-leaved cattails, and its structure is intermediate between that of its parental species. The best way to identify the hybrids is to first learn the characteristics of T. angustifolia and T. latifolia, then look for plants that are intermediate.
Ecological threat:
- Invades freshwater marshes, wet meadows, fens, roadsides, ditches, shallow ponds, stream, and lake shores.
- It plays an important role as a source of food and shelter for some marsh-dwelling animals, but large mono-specific stands of invasive cattails spread vegetatively, displacing other plants providing food and cover, and excluding some less common species.
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