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Typha latifolia
Cattails begin as green spikes (female parts) with loose, dangling hairs containing pollen (male parts) above that. Once fertilized, the female parts turn dark brown and the male parts fall away. The leaves are very tall, narrow, and grass-like. It is a tall marsh plant, that grows in dense groups. The flowers are very prolific, one stalk will produce an estimated 220,000 seeds. Even with this number of seeds, cattails colonize by sending up clones from the creeping rhizomes. It has been recorded that a cattail marsh can travel up to 17 feet in a year with prime conditions through the cloning process. Cattails can reach heights 3-9 feet.
Spotted on Apr 27, 2015
Submitted on Apr 27, 2015
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