Common Cattails are a familiar sight along the shore of any marsh, pond, lake, or river. They can even be found in ditches. Cattails are tall, stiff plants, growing almost ten feet tall. The leaves look like giant blades of grass, about one inch wide. The flower has two parts; a brown cylinder (the female part), and a yellow spike (the male part). Cattails are usually found in a dense stand (many together).

Common Cattails have roots that creep, called rhizomes. Rhizomes grow new shoots quickly. This creates the thick stands which are great cover for the many animals which live among them. Red-winged Blackbirds are probably the animal most associated with cattails. The blackbirds are often seen in groups perching on them. They also build their nests on them. Besides Red-winged Blackbirds, waterfowl, such as Mallards and Canada Geese, nest among cattails. Frogs and salamanders will lay their eggs in the water on and between them. Fish will hide or nest among them. Muskrats eat Common Cattails and use them to build their houses. White-tailed Deer, Raccoons, Eastern Cottontails, and Turkey all use cattails as cover. Many species of insects eat and live on them.

Common Cattails flower from May to July. In early fall, the brown flower head pops open, letting its fluffy seeds emerge. These seeds are carried by wind or water to new places. Many species of birds use the fluff to line their nests. Save the Prairie Society

Relationships in Nature:

Animals Using as Food Source	Animals Using as Shelter	Associations With Other Plants	OTHER
Muskrat	Red-winged Blackbird	Yellow Pond Lily	Tussock Sedge C
Canada Goose	Muskrat	Common Duckweed	Beaver Mu
Stagnant Pond Snail	Canada Goose	Pickerelweed	Downy Woodpecker FP
	Mallard	Common Reed	Wild Rice EC
	White-tailed Deer	Tussock Sedge
	Raccoon	Green Algae
	Bullfrog	Lizard's Tail
	Wild Turkey	Long-leaf Pondweed
	Golden Shiner	Greater Bladderwort
	Eastern Painted Turtle	Spotted Joe-pye Weed
	American Dog Tick	Marsh Bulrush
	American Toad	Arrow Arum
	Green Darner	Swamp Rose Mallow
	Freshwater Leech	Wild Rice
	Eastern Newt
	Northern Water Snake
	Large Diving Beetle
	Stagnant Pond Snail
	Paramecium
	Green Darner

Relationship to Humans:

All parts of the cattail plant are edible. American Indians prepared the different parts in many ways. The leaves of Common Cattail are used to weave baskets, chair seats, and mats.

People sometimes plant cattails along the shores of water to prevent erosion.

The fluffy seeds are used as insulation for pillows and coats.

An adhesive (glue) can be made from the stems.

The pollen is sometimes used in fireworks.

SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION

KINGDOM Plant DIVISION Magnoliophyta CLASS Liliopsida ORDER Typhales FAMILY Typhaceae GENUS Typha SPECIES Typha latifolia

QUICK LINKS

Organism Menu Home Glossary Student Activities Relationships Classification Info How to Use This Site Bibliography