Also called Common Cattail
Broad, upright leaves and dense brown cylinders make this native wetland plant familiar along pond edges and in marshes. Flowering stalks offer the best chance to compare it with Narrow-leaved and Hybrid Cattail.
Broad-leaved Cattail with a mature brown flower head and broad foliage. Select the photo to browse the slideshow.
Family: Typhaceae
Life cycle: Perennial
Flowers: Late spring–summer
Height: Often 5–10 feet
Habitat: Marshes, pond edges and shallow water
Explore reported observations. Sightings are not a complete range map.
Look in sunny wetlands and shallow water. During flowering, photograph the entire spike before the upper male portion disappears. Later views show the persistent brown heads and spreading colonies.
Narrow-leaved Cattail typically has narrower leaves and a visible gap between its flower sections. Hybrid Cattail (Typha × glauca) overlaps with both parents. Compare several features; a weathered head alone is not a dependable species test.
The upper flowers produce pollen; the lower female flowers form the familiar brown cylinder. The two portions usually meet. The upper portion breaks down after flowering, so a bare stalk on an old head is not the same as a flowering-stage gap.
Long, flat leaves have parallel veins and smooth edges. They grow from the base alongside erect, unbranched flowering stalks. Leaf width is useful in combination with flowers, but overlaps among cattail species.
As heads break apart, fine hairs help carry the tiny seeds on the wind. Underground rhizomes also spread the plant into colonies. Cattail stands provide wildlife cover and nesting material.
Five field photographs showing mature heads, foliage and habitat. Identifications supplied by the photographer. Select a photo to enlarge it and browse the slideshow.
Broad-leaved Cattail is native in North America and occurs widely in wetlands. Even native cattails can spread strongly in suitable conditions.
Observation maps show submitted records, not every place the plant occurs. Follow local access rules when visiting a site.
Compare Narrow-leaved Cattail and Giant Bur-reed, or explore the wetland habitat guide.
Field photographs and photo identifications: Where’s Wildlife.
NC State Extension: Broadleaf Cattail
Wisconsin DNR: comparison with Hybrid Cattail
Spotted a possible identification error or have an observation to share? Leave a comment below. For an ID correction, include the photo filename and the features that support your suggestion.