Photo courtesy of Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants
| Scientific Name | Typha spp. L. (T. latifolia, T. glauca, T. angustifolia, T. domingensis) |
| Common Name | Cattail |
| Family | Typhaceae (Cattail) |
| Class | Monocot |
| Description | Primarily emergent from subterranean rhizome, leaves long and strap-like, flowers inconspicuous in floral head with sexes separate, wind pollinated |
| US Distribution | Throughout US and southern Canada |
| Worldwide Distribution | Temperate North America, Europe, and Asia |
| Ecology | Emergent in up to 3 ft. depth, to moist soil |
| Economic Importance | May become a nuisance, also as a roost for blackbird swarms |
| Ecological Importance | Can be good cover for wildlife, food for muskrats, etc.; may out-compete other natives in some situations (prairie pothole region) |
| Notes | Some of these species hybridize; some evidence that T. latifolia is not native |