History of Cattails

Broadleaf Cattail (Typha latifolia)
Broadleaf Cattail is also known as Common Cattail, Cattail, Rushes, Cossack Asparagus, Flags and Reed Mace
Plant Type: Herbaceous, a perennial which can reach a height of 2.5 Meters (8 feet ) .
Leaves: The leaves are alternate. Each leaf is long, slender and entire.
Flowers: The flower parts are not discernable with the naked eye . They are greenish turning brown. Blooms first appear in mid spring and continue into early summer. The male flowers which soon drop are in a column above the female flower column which persists as the familiar fuzzy brown cylinder.
Habitat: Shallow water and wet areas including brackish water.
Range: Most of North America.

The earliest a cattail was recorded as native to North America was in 1836. By 1888, the cattail was known throughout the country. There were two narrow-leaved cattails also found in eastern North America in the 1830's. The native species was called Typha gracilis, and the other species (a European species) was named Typha angustifolia.. By the 1850's these two species were formed into a single species, Typha angustifolia.. Since that time, it hasn't been known that there used to be a native and European species combined into one species.

Before 1880, the narrow-leaved cattail was only found in a few coastal wetlands along the north Atlantic seaboard, Louisiana, and California. In the late 19th century, cattails spread to the Great Lakes region by way of waterways, railroads, road ditches, and other areas where wetlands were disturbed or created. The narrow-leaved cattail continued to the west of the Great Lakes. In 1920, it was first recorded in Wisconsin. In North Dakota, there were no records of this cattail before World War I.

Cattails were first used in the New England States. Their popularity grew when indians began harvesting them for hemp, proving them to be a valuable natural resource.

During the last 50 years, the narrow-leaved cattail has spread rapidly, and by the early 1960's, it was the dominant wetland plant in southeastern North Dakota and western Minnesota. The former domination by bulrushes was being taken over by the cattails.

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