WashingtonGardener: Cattail Plant Profile

Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Cattail Plant Profile

Cattail (Typha latifolia) is a grass-like perennial with a tall yellow cone of male flowers in the spring. followed In summer and early fall, the female brown flower heads pack around the stem (giving it that classic “hot dog on a stick” look).

It is also known as Marsh Pestle, Corn Dog Grass, Water Torch, and Candlestick.

It is native to most of the Americas as well as to Africa and western Eurasia.

It is hardy to USDA zones 3 to 10.

Cattail can grow from 4 to 10 feet high. Dwarf Cattail (Typha minima) is a miniature version that is better suited for backyard water gardens

It prefers to grow in full to part sun in rich, wet soils or mud, It is also salt tolerant.

They are aggressive spreaders so it is best to grow them in containers.

Cattails provide nesting areas and food for birds and other wildlife. It is deer-resistant. The plant was used as a food and medicine by Native Americans. The cattail has also been used in padding for bedding, thatching for roofs, and as stuffing in life vests for the Navy during World War II.

Cattails are perfect for use in long-lasting dried arrangements

They are easy to propagate by seed or by planting a rhizome division.

Cattail: You Can Grow That!

The video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine.

Audio, Videos, Photos, and Text by Kathy Jentz

Editing by Miguel Zarate

Additional Video Footage by Colin Davan

Additional Photo by H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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