General Landscape Uses:
Water gardens and along pond and lake edges.
Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts and occasionally by native plant nurseries.
Description: Large herb.
Dimensions: About 6-9 feet in height. Spreading from underground stems (rhizomes) and forming extensive colonies.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Range:
Widespread in North America south to Miami-Dade County and the Monroe County mainland; West Indies, Mexico and Central America.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Habitats: Freshwater marshes.
Soils: Wet, poorly-drained organic soils.
Nutritional Requirements: High; requires rich organic soils for optimal growth.
Salt Water Tolerance: Low; does not tolerate flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance: Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.
Drought Tolerance: Low; requires moist to wet soils and is intolerant of long periods of drought.
Light Requirements: Full sun.
Flower Color: Brown.
Flower Characteristics: Semi-showy inflorescence.
Flowering Season: Spring-summer.
Fruit: An aggregate of minute achenes comprises the "cattail."
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed and division.
