This species is invasive of natural wetlands in North America, and significantly reduces biodiversity by reducing them to monocultures. I...Read Moret is native to Europe and is believed to have been introduced to North America. (Stuckey, R. L.; Salamon, D. P. (1987). "Typha angustifolia in North America: masquerading as a native". Am. J. Bot. 74: 757.)
T. angustifolia can be distinguished from T. latifolia by its narrower leaves (0.25-0.5 inches) and by a clear separation of the flowers on the flowering heads into two different regions (staminate flowers above and pistilate flowers below). It grows only 3-6' tall when mature.
It hybridizes with our native T. latifolia where their ranges overlap, which is much of N. America. The hybrid, white cattail (T. x glauca), is sterile but is also invasive of natural wetlands in North America, dominating them by forming large monocultures through vegetative reproduction.
This species is invasive of natural wetlands in North America, and significantly reduces biodiversity by reducing them to monocultures. I...Read More