How did cattails become a nuisance?
By Chelsie Vandaveer
December 5, 2002
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Cattails (Typha species) are probably the most widely known of all wetland species. The ten or fifteen species belong to their own family, the Typhaceae. Some species like the broad-leaved (Typha latifolia Linnaeus) are native to both the Old and New World. Other species like the Eurasian narrow-leaved (Typha angustifolia Linnaeus) have naturalized wherever they have been introduced.
Cattails have become nuisance species; their ranges have expanded and they out-compete other wetland plants forming thick monocultures. According to Harold A. Kantrud, prior to World War I, few cattail stands were found in prairie wetlands. Many of those prairie potholes are now dominated by the narrow-leaved cattail. (History of Cattail on the Prairies: Wildlife Impacts, NPWRC) Where the cattails dominate a wetland, open water or gaps cease to exist and wildlife declines.
Numerous theories exist as to why plants that caused no problems years ago have become a nuisance now. Nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizers contribute to their luxuriant growth and lack of wildfires allows the build-up of detritus which smothers other plants' seeds.
Cattails change the environment of a marsh. Sun-loving species are shaded-out by the height of the cattails. But cattails also produce phenolic compounds which enter the rhizosphere (zone of soil where roots exist). J. B. Grace found that leaf extracts are allelopathic, the chemicals inhibit the germination of seeds even cattail seeds. ("Autotoxic inhibition of seed germination by Typha latifolia", Oecologia, 1983) Cattails 'poison' the soil reserving all nutrients for themselves.
The Wisconsin State Herbarium has posted a photograph of Typha X glauca, a cross between the broad-leaved and narrow-leaved cattails taken by Robert W. Freckmann. To view the photograph, click on the link:
http://www.botany.wisc.edu/wisflora/scripts/detail.asp?SpCode=TYPxGLA
killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~
Suggested Reading:
How are cattails used by wildlife? Renfield's Garden - December 4, 2002
How did cattails become a nuisance? Weird Plants - December 5, 2002
What plant was a survival kit? Plants that Changed History - December 3, 2002
What are swamp lanterns? Renfield's Garden - February 23, 2005
Stiff Marsh Bedstraw (Galium tinctorium) Plant of the Week - July 12, 2004
What surprises were found in sweet flag's DNA? Weird Plants - May 16, 2002
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