Typha domingensis

Southern cattail, Southern Cattail

Family: Typhaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Southern cattail is a native perennial found in northern California coastal, North Coast Ranges, Great Valley, Central Western, southwestern California, Great Basin, and desert bioregions in nutrient-rich freshwater to brackish marshes at elevations below 1,500 meters. Flowering from June to July, this plant produces distinctive cinnamon to medium brown flower spikes with linear stigmas that transition from white to yellow-brown. Growing 1.5 to 4 meters tall with stems approximately 3 to 4 millimeters wide near the flower clusters, it develops dense, upright stems in marshy environments. Its leaves are distinctive, with blades 6 to 18 millimeters wide when fresh, featuring orange-brown gland dots along the lower portions and membranous ear-like sheaths. The plant produces unique flower clusters with strap-like staminate scales in yellow-brown tones and pistillate bractlets that are straw-colored with swollen hair tips featuring large orange-brown spots.

Habitat: Nutrient-rich freshwater to brackish marshes, wet disturbed places

Bloom period: Jun-Jul

Elevation: < 1500 m

Bioregions: NCo, NCoRO, GV, CW, SW, GB, D

California counties: San Bernardino, San Diego, Los Angeles, Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Monterey, Orange, Riverside, San Francisco, San Joaquin, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Ventura, Contra Costa, Merced, Santa Clara, Sonoma, Imperial, Tulare, Yolo, Humboldt, Marin, Sacramento, Calaveras, San Luis Obispo, Butte, Tehama, Colusa, Glenn, Yuba, Stanislaus, Mono, Mendocino, Lassen, San Mateo, Del Norte, Sutter, Solano, Alameda, El Dorado, San Benito

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.