Hybrid Cattails (Typha x glauca)
Mary Penney, Stewardship & Habitat Program Coordinator, New York Sea Grant and Matt Distler, Ph.D., SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Photo of hybrid cattails on the Erie Canal Hybrid Cattails by Matt Distler Fun Fact: An emergent plant is a plant that grows with What are hybrid roots in standing water and its flowering part cattails? above the water. Hybrid cattails are tall, emergent plants with long flowering heads, or inflorescences. The “gap” between the long inflorescences is a visual way to sort the hybrid and parental species. Parental species have either a large gap or no gap, while hybrid cattails have a small gap.
Hybrids occur when two different species combine to create a new species. Hybrid cattail is a combination of native broadleaf cattail (native to the Great Lakes region) and the non-native narrowleaf cattail. Hybrids often display a combination of traits from both New York Sea Grant parent species, although new characteristics may develop as well. Some hybrids are SUNY College of Oswego much better adapted to their surroundings than their parent species and are often able Oswego, NY to grow in places where the parent species could not. This is true with hybrid cattails, 13126-3599 which can survive deeper water and longer periods of flooding better than its parents. Tel: 315.312.3042 Hybrid cattails are like many other hybrids; they are less able to reproduce from seeds www.nyseagrant.org than parental species. This may seem like a problem for most plants, but not hybrid cattails. Clones are produced from a continuously expanding root system that can result in thick stands of hybrid cattails.
“gap” inflorescence
New York’s Sea Grant Extension Program provides Equal x Program and Equal Employment Opportunities in association with Cornell Cooperative Extension, U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Commerce and cooperating County Typha angustifolia, narrowleaf cattail Typha latifolia, broadleaf cattail Cooperative Extension Associations. Eastern Lake Ontario Dunes and Wetlands Fact Sheet Series June 2010 Hybrid Cattails Ottawa, ON. coastal wetlandplant communities.Finalprojectreport totheInternationalJointCommission, Washington, DCand Patterson. 2005.Evaluationofwater levelregulationinfluencesonLakeOntarioandupperSt.LawrenceRiver Wilcox, D.A.,J.W. Ingram,K.P. Kowalski,J.E.Meeker, M.L.Carlson,Y. Xie,G.P. Grabas,K.L.HolmesandN.J. Lakes wetlands.M.S.Thesis.Cornell University, Ithaca,NY, USA. Vaccaro, L.E.2005.Patterns,mechanisms,andecologicalimplications ofcattail(Typha spp.) dominanceinGreat illustrated floraofthenorthernUnited States,CanadaandtheBritishPossessions. Vol. 1:68. Typha latifolia An illustratedfloraofthenorthernUnitedStates,CanadaandBritish Possessions. Vol. 1:69. Typha angustifolia, Journal ofGreatLakesResearch12:25-36. Keddy P.A. andA.A. Reznicek. 1986.GreatLakesdynamics:theroleoffluctuatingwaterlevelsandburiedseeds. and Grace, J.B.andJ.S.Harrison.1986.ThebiologyofCanadianweeds73.Typha latifoliaL.,Typha angustifolia.L, historical cycle.JournalofGreatLakesResearch33:366-380. Frieswyk, C.B.andJ.B.Zedler. 2006.Vegetation changeinGreatLakescoastalwetlands:deviationfromthe References stop its invasion wetlands. into its diverse stop and plant this to ways manage reason, researchersLake this are For investigating wetlands. Ontario of eastern biodiversity the to areas, lower new spread they cattails these As plants. wetland endangered of rare including plants, species and other out shade stems of dead thick and layers live stems dense grow,Where hybridcattails create they amonoculture Why shouldwecare? Great Lakes wetlands. have other in they as Marsh), Creek Lake (Deer wetland Ontario eastern an in have spread cattails how these shows (right) century half last the from wetlands. Analysis of photos aerial cycle promoted in species diversity natural That wetland. the beneath were buried that to seeds from sprout droughts would allow other species centuries,past occasional floods and In low lows). and highs high (fewer much have not varied wetlands 1960, of Lake levels water the Ontario St. of the damming Lawrence in River Lakein Since wetlands. Ontario the cattails are aggressive especially hybrid growing is There evidence that cattails The storyofhybrid wetlands. rich) eutrophic or favor disturbed cattails Hybrid estuary. River Hudson such the mix in as water salt and which iswherefresh are wetlands, brackish foundin They Lake also dunes. sand Ontario eastern by the protected Lakes, Great of like ones the the wetlands are freshwater the foundin cattails Hybrid Where dohybridcattailslive? Typha ×
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Illustration courtesyofMattDistler Conservation District County Soil&Water Erica Schreiner, Oswego Conservation of Environmental NYS Department Irene Mazzocchi, The NatureConservancy Chris Lajewski, Oswego CountyBOCES Carolyn Deary-Petrocci, Consulting Ecologist Sandy Bonanno, Committee: Advisory (nutrient (nutrient