Broad-leaved Cattail

Typha latifolia

no photo — written note
photo: Wikimedia Commons
Plants

The classic brown marsh cigar on tall flat blade leaves.

Field facts
HabitatMarsh, pond edges, wet ditches
RangeStatewide
When to lookFlower spikes June; seed heads all winter
StatusSecure (Indiana DNR / IUCN Red List)
Look-alikesNarrow-leaved Cattail, Hybrid Cattail

Field note: Muskrats eat the rhizomes and build lodges from the leaves.

Lesson
Watching responsibly

Cattail stands hide nesting red-winged blackbirds and rails; stay out in spring.

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