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Southern Cattail

Typha domingensis

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in brackish to nearly fresh waters of marshes and swamps, usually tidal. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

52
Strong

Native to Louisiana (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 82%

Height
Up to about 12 feet
Light
Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Wet to standing water
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Fruiting season
July to November

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves · Bloom

Bloom: NC species account not read yet.

Spread and leaves: no source found yet.

This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.

Recorded in 29 Louisiana parishes.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Freshwater marshes

Open, herb-covered wetlands with fresh, non-tidal water.

Swamps

Forested wetlands with standing water much of the year, such as cypress and gum swamps.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Louisiana. Shared habitat, not food. 107 animals.

All wildlife of Louisiana

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

16CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA

Genus host records with ranges including LA · Typha

  • Acronicta insularisHenry's Marsh Moth, Cattail Caterpillar
  • Acronicta oblinitaSmeared Dagger
  • Bellura densaPickerel Weed Border Moth, Pickerelweed Diver
  • Bellura gortynoidesWhite-Tailed Diver
  • Bellura obliquaCattail Border Moth, Cattail Diver
  • Choristoneura obsoletanaObsolete Leafroller
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Dicymolomia julianalisJulia's Dicymolomia
  • Endothenia hebesanaVerbena Bud Moth
  • Epiblema otiosanaBidens Borer Moth
Show all 16
  • Globia oblongaOblong Sedge Borer Moth, Large Noagria
  • Orthosia rubescensRuby Quaker
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Bactra maiorina
  • Bellura brehmei
  • Chionodes rabula
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
1BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Typha

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
3BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Typha

  • Fulica americanaAmerican Coot
  • Gallinula galeataCommon Gallinule
  • Mareca americanaAmerican Wigeon
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Typhaceae
Flower color
Brown
Fruit begins
July
Fruit ends
November

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Southern Cat Tail

Conservation status

Louisiana rankNot available
Global rankG4G5
LA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources