Plant Spotlight – Cattail

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Cattail versus Tule

Typha latifolia & Schoenoplectus acutus

Cattails may be one of the most familiar sedges with its endearing name and inflorescence (or flower), which looks like a corn dog perennially sticking out of the tall green walls of a marsh. However, the cattail’s cousin, tule (also referred to as bull-rush) occupies similar habitat yet is not able to persist in the languishing habitat conditions that emergent wetlands undergo today.

The world’s center of diversity for cattail is in Eurasia with 6 species found on every subcontinent. North America also has several different species (9 in North America) including 2 species native to California. Additionally, there are several species from the Eurasian subcontinent that can be found in North America, including locally, which have been shown to exhibit invasive behavior. 

The most common species of cattail is Typha latifolia and the most common species of tule or bull-rush is Schoenoplectus acutus. Schoenoplectus or tule are represented by 25 species, 15 of which are on the North American subcontinent, and 9 of which are native to Californian wetlands. Schoenoplectus californicus  and  S. acutus are the large stature tule common in Trinity County. 

Cattail and tule are both around the same ‘stature’ or blade height which represents the overall plant height, however there are several ways to tell the two apart.

Cattail has a wide flat blade that is arranged in a ‘fan’ like an iris. Looking at the leaves alone one might think that this species is an Iris. Tule has a round hollow leaf, not flat at all, which is unusual for a sedge! The typical saying for sedges is: “sedges have edges” and “rushes are round” but tule breaks this rule. 

Also, the flowers of the plants look very different. With cattail, it’s common name is descriptive of the flower. In many sedge species, there is a male flower at the top of the inflorescence, and female at the bottom. The fluffy stuff that you’re used to seeing on a cattail is actually the seeds! Each has a separate wind-blown umbrella to help it land far away from the mother plant. Sometimes it can take a full rotation from fall to spring before the seeds will release from the corn-dog flower head, which can coincide with the nesting period for many birds. Cattail  seeds are not very nutrient dense, but you might find birds harvesting beaks full of fluff to line their nests.   

In tule, the seeds are born in a little toss of beads on the end of a string which emerges from the top of the tall, round leaf stalks. Tule seeds (in contrast to cattail seeds) are desirable as bird food, and songbirds in the marsh can often be found hanging crookedly off a tule leaf and eating the ornament of seeds from the top of the plant.

These plants both require slow-water habitat. Cattail can handle wider extremes of environmental conditions, such as more scour, a higher tolerance of both inundation and dryness, and a greater ability to establish from windblown seeds.

Tule on the other hand, requires backwater areas with very little scour, specific amounts of perennial inundation and cannot usually tolerate completely dry conditions (6). Oxygen is often the limiting factor for primary productivity in hydric wetland soils. This suggests that when tule experiences good growing conditions, it can facilitate survival of other oxygen-dependent species (which is typically considered more desirable for diversity in aquatic environments). Tule and cattail are often competitive bedmates and cattail will usually win the inexorable struggle when the two spar for habitat. 

The Latin derivative for cattail, Typha, may come from the Greek word typhein, to smoke or to emit smoke; or typhe meaning “cat’s tail” but the true reason for using this Greek root is not known today. Some resources today often find these descriptions to be confusing because it is hard to understand why this plant might be described as ‘smoke’ unless one has a relationship between fire and wetland communities, and so, many people call it cattail because either interpretation could be an explanation for its name. This plant language offers us an opportunity to be curious and listen to others to unravel the answer. 

A close up of cattail seeds. [Steve Matson]

Historically California tribes have an intimate relationship to wetland habitats. Many tribes will refer to the wetland as the “medicine cabinet” or “drugstore” as many species foundational to healthy living within ecosystems can be found in these habitats. Additionally, in California, burning would be carried out in wetland communities to help maintain the health of the tule and maintain the balance of this critical habitat for both ecosystem function and human health (9, 11, 12, 13). 

European history documents cattail flower heads utilized as slow burning torches that were very smoky and may have helped to repel insects. Also, many historical references to “reed” are referring to cattail, including biblical references (21). 

In local languages, the Hupa people describe tule as tł’ohtse’ (17). Karuk people describe tule as taprarahtunvêech for living plants or taprárah for the plant in use as a mat or sewn object (18). Yurok people describe tule and cattail synonymously as ‘wehlkoh meaning “leaves woven together to make a mat or raincoat” (24).

In plain English, cattail  can also be called “bull rush” which leads us back to the reason why these two species are paired together in this article! How can we tell which “bull rush” is the true bull rush?! One of the great struggles with plants is the ability to communicate effectively about which individual is being described from person-to-person. This is a challenge that has been handed down through many generations and has led us to the current era of the California Jepson Manual and using dichotomous keys and Latin to separate different plant descriptions from one another. For this reason, the term “bull rush” or “rush” can be an ambiguous description, but for this article it is important to create distinction.

The fossil record of cattail can be traced back to the Paleogene part of the Cenozoic, which is when non-avian dinosaurs went extinct. This era is marked in the geologic record by the iridium anomaly along with the deposition of several other transition metals which can be toxic for animal consumption. This was at the same time as mammalian and vertebrate diversity expanded dramatically and the circumpolar current began to form. Both cattail and tule can bio-accumulate toxic minerals and provide filtration for slow water habitats. One can imagine how this may have supported survival of new life in a stressful environment (23). 

Both humans and animals have a long history of using cattail and tule. All parts of both of these plants are edible at various life-history stages (10, 14, 15). The roots of both plants are thick and starchy and have been harvested, cultivated and tended by ancient humans before agricultural practices began. The mashed-up starch can also be used to staunch bleeding and disinfect wounds. 

Cattail  shoots are usually harvested when young. They look and feel like a leek and have a similar texture when cooked, with a milder flavor. The pollen is high in protein and can be used like flour to thicken soups or make pancakes. Stems of cattail can be made into a tea to treat whooping cough (16). The fluffy seeds of cattail have been used as diapers, sanitary napkins and for dressing wounds by humankind worldwide with it’s soft absorptive features.

Tule’s young shoots can be eaten like asparagus but mature leaves can act as an emetic, causing vomiting. Tule’s most famous use is for fiber. Many tribes throughout California in particular have used tule leaves for houses, weaving sleeping mats and roofing for houses as well as tule boats (22). 

Photo by Frank Cone

Tule and cattails provide very important habitat for birds in particular. Beyond a source of sustenance, wetland birds also use these habitats for the edge effect that they create for protection. The aerial friction that these plants provide, creates a buffer from extreme weather conditions within the boundary layer of a wetland, which is typically a pretty exposed environment. Both of these species can be used in botanical wetland delineation to establish protected habitats (23). 

Both cattail (Typha latifolia) and tule (Schoenoplectus acutus) play vital roles in the ecology of wetland environments, serving not only as crucial habitats for various wildlife but also as important resources for human communities throughout history. Their unique characteristics, from the distinct morphology of their leaves to their varied reproductive strategies, highlight the biodiversity present within these ecosystems. Furthermore, understanding their ecological functions and cultural significance can foster greater appreciation and stewardship of wetlands – a critically important yet declining habitat area within our watersheds.

Resources 

  1. Berkeley Jepson manual: Typha 
  1. iNaturalist: Typha 
  1. Typha under stress 
  1. Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) 
  1. CNPS Manual of California vegetation: Schoenoplectus acutus 
  1. Schoenoplectus californicus at Different Life-History Stages to Hydrologic Regime 
  1. Soil redox dynamics under dynamic hydrologic regimes – A review 
  1. Flora of North America: Typha 
  1. Miwok Cultural Fire Perspective: Don Hankins of Chico State 
  1. Revised phylogeny and historical biogeography of the cosmopolitan aquatic plant genus Typha (Typhaceae) 
  1. Fire and Water in Yosemite 
  1. Evaluation of Restoration Techniques and management practices of tule pertaining to eco-cultural use by Irene A Vasquez 
  1. FIRE in California’s Ecosystems, Chapter 19: M. Kat Anderson 
  1. Origin, Classification and Distribution of Typha Species a Paradigm forUnderstanding the Biology and Ecology of the Wetland Emergent PlantSpecies 
  1. International Journal of Pharmaceutical research and Applications: Typha Species overview 
  1. Native American Medicinal Plants: An Ethnobotanical Dictionary by Daniel E. Moreman 
  1. Hupa: Typha 
  1. Karuk: Tule 
  1. Flora of North America: Typha Latifolia Illustration by John Myers 
  1. Flora of North America: Shoenoplectus tabernaemontani by John Myers 
  1. Ethnobotany of foraged food and peculiar produce: Cattail culinary uses 
  1. NRCS: Schoenoplectus acutus 
  1. GEI Consultants: Navigating the Murky Waters: A Guide to Wetland Delineations 
  1. Yurok Language Project UC Berkeley  

Simone Groves, Riparian Ecologist, Hoopa Valley Tribal Fisheries

Simone is first generation California transplant of scottish descent raised in the unceded territories of the Raymatush in the rural west peninsula of the SF Bay where farmers, farm workers and hippies form the heart of the small town. She graduated in 2016 from Humboldt State University with a BS in Botany and has worked in the outskirts of rural Humboldt county on Natural Resource and Land management since 2013. She is passionate about plants and their interactions with dynamic systems as a mechanism for relearning our human-landscape interdependence.

Water Year 2025 (Oct. 15 – Apr. 15)

Water Year 25 thus far has been a good year for Trinity Reservoir. In October, Trinity Reservoir measured in at 70% full with 1.7 million acre feet. Seasonal storms have recently pushed storage over 2 million acre feet (or 84%). In December, flows were held steady at 1500 cfs through January and increased to 3500 cfs after several atmospheric river systems passed through in early February.

Trinity Reservoir December 2024 [Kiana Abel, Trinity River Restoration Program]

Feb. Forecast – California-Nevada River Forecast Center

The volume of environmental flow releases for the Trinity River Restoration Program’s Wet-Season Baseflow Period (Feb. 15-Apr. 14) are determined by a conservative monthly inflow projection for Trinity Reservoir from the California Department of Water Resources (90% B120) in February, March with the final determination in April.

Prior to the official determination, which is published around the 10th of the month, water managers follow the California-Nevada River Forecast Center Median forecast for Trinity Lake inflow to stay abreast of the water year projections thus far.

The graph (shown in screen shot above) can be a little daunting to read, but when armed with the appropriate information is discernable for any viewer.

The Program’s Water-Year Volume Allocation as specified by the Record of Decision is outlined in the table below. The far left column is the threshold amount of state forecasted inflow in the Trinity Reservoir listed in acre feet which determines the center column, water year type. Then in the right column is listed the allocation to restoration for that water year, which includes baseflows.

Return now to an enlargement of the CNRFC forecast screenshot from Feb 12. Check out the light grey box “WY Vol Fcst 10/90%: 2,190/1,490 kaf” which reads longform as the following;

As of Feb. 12, the 10% of probability for Trinity Lake Inflow is predicted as 2,190,000 acre feet and the 90% of probability is 1,490,000 acre feet. Translated there is a 10% probability that the Trinity Allocation is predicted as “Wet” and a 90% probability is also “Wet”.

As managers track the predicted inflow via CNRFC, the Program’s Flow Workgroup develops hydrograph scenarios to use when the final determination is published by the California Department of Water Resources. The two agencies use different methods when it comes to these prediction tools, the California Department of Water Resources uses data that has a weighted average to compute statewide Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) and is known as a more conservative forecast method when comparing the two.

Wet-Season Baseflow Period (Feb. 15 – Apr. 14)

The next period within the Trinity River Restoration Program environmental flow management is the Wet-Season Baseflow Period, which initiates Feb. 15. The California Department of Water Resources February 90% B120 declaration was published on Feb. 11 as “normal” with the 90% determination at 1,295,000 acre feet.

The hydrograph developed by the Program with the “normal” water allocation does not exceed the current Trinity Reservoir dam releases which have ranged from 1500 cfs to 3500 cfs and are anticipated for the remainder of February because the reservoir is significantly encroached per the safety of dam criteria. For water accounting, the Program will deduct 60,000 acre feet from Reclamation flows during this period (Feb. 15 – Mar. 14), thus saving the reservoir valuable storage in the summer months.

Red dotted lines indicate 1500 cfs and 3500 cfs while the black line indicates the developed hydrograph for the “normal” February B-120 declaration.

With the river at levels above 300 cfs there are benefits to Trinity River salmonids as wetted areas are providing additional areas to biology within the system. Any reduction in flows would inhibit or halt such production in areas wetted by current flows.

Of course, unexpected flows always come as a shock. This water year has been unique in that maintenance on Clear Creek tunnel has initiated the need to send storage management releases down the Trinity versus to Whiskeytown Reservoir. To remain prepared, river enthusiasts should expect changing flows authorized by Reclamation through the month of March.

Prior to the next period (Apr. 15 – variable), the Program has a check-in on Mar. 15 to adjust flows to the March 90% B120 declaration. In April, the Program implements it’s spring snow-melt and recession hydrograph following the final B120 water year determination by the Department of Water Resources.

Grey Pine (Pinus sabiniana)

Common names: Grey pine (most common), ghost pine, foothill pine, Sabine pine, bull pine or grey leaf pine.

Adapted to the long, hot, dry summers of our Mediterranean climate, the grey pine is endemic to California and prolificates within the ring of foothills that surround California’s Central Valley. It fairs well in rocky well-drained soils yet also grows in heavy, poorly drained clay soils. The species commonly occurs with Blue Oak (Quercus douglasii) which creates a unique partnership that is described as “Oak/Foothill Pine vegetation” and is indicative of the grey pine which provides a sparse overstory above the canopy of an oak woodland. The partnership in itself is the preferred habitat to black-tailed deer, California quail, as well as mourning dove and describes a characteristic within the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion, of which Trinity County is part [1].

Photo published on The Gymnosperm Database. A tree at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden, California [C.J. Earle, 2004.04.13].

The grey pine is easily identifiable with pale grey-green needles that are sparse and a bit droopy. When looking from afar a grey pine is easily spotted by his smoky, wistful coloration. The structure of P. sabiniana tends to be a bit scrappy with its center trunk splitting sometimes several times, often bending every which way, versus holding a typical stature. Also easily identifiable are the seed cones which are among the largest produced by any pine species, when fresh weighing on average between 1-1.5 pounds. One particular source noted that, “The large, heavy cones resemble footballs covered with wooden spikes. It is best to avoid the pine groves on windy days.” [2] The cones tend to be full of sticky sap and are also home to a plethora of nutritious seeds enjoyed by many animal species, such as Steller’s jay, the scrub jay, grey squirrels and humans. The seeds have an impressive percentage of calories in the form of protein, fat and carbohydrates and provide several essential minerals to those who forage it [3].

This species is the principal host for the dwarf mistletoe Arceuthobium occidentale a perennial parasitic herb that is native to California [2]. Dwarf mistletoe is considered a disease that the tree can succumb to typically causing reduced tree vigor or death. If you have grey pines near your structures and the parasite is left uncontrolled, infection can increase sixty-fold within a window of 10 years [3].

Photo of dwarf mistletoe originally posted in the CalPhotos Database. Zoya Akulova 2008.

John Muir, describes this tree in the first chapter of My First Summer in the Sierra: “June 4. … This day has been as hot and dusty as the first, leading over gently sloping brown hills, with mostly the same vegetation, excepting the strange-looking Sabine pine (Pinus sabiniana), which here forms small groves or is scattered among the blue oaks. The trunk divides at a height of fifteen or twenty feet into two or more stems, outleaning or nearly upright, with many straggling branches and long gray needles, casting but little shade. In general appearance this tree looks more like a palm than a pine. The cones are about six or seven inches long, about five in diameter, very heavy, and last long after they fall, so that the ground beneath the trees is covered with them. They make fine resiny, light-giving camp-fires, next to ears of Indian corn the most beautiful fuel I’ve ever seen.”[2]

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Photo published on The Gymnosperm Database. Small stand in the southern Santa Lucia Range, California [C.J. Earle, 2007.03.01].

The ethnobotanical uses of the grey pine are impressive with uses ranging from cultural to functional to nutritional. Although there are documented uses for all parts of the tree from sap to needle, primarily the seed gets the most attention. Seeds are noted to be gathered fresh, as well as roasted, boiled or pounded for porridge [5]. The hull of the seed is also used as a bead to decorate traditional dresses used for ceremony. Follow this link to read the lengthy, impressive list of all documented uses.

Photo published on The Gymnosperm Database. Ripe cone in situ; Bodfish area, California [C.J. Earle, 2014.01.17].

References & Further Reading

  1. Wikipedia, Pinus sabiniana
  2. Pinus sabiniana (gray pine) description – The Gymnosperm Database (conifers.org)
  3. Pinus sabiniana (usda.gov)
  4. The Sierra Club. John Muir Exhibit, My First Summer in the Sierra. Chapter 1
  5. BRIT – Native American Ethnobotany Database