Status: Native
Synonyms:
None
Typha latifolia is the common Cattail in the Gila Wilderness. It has leaves greater than a centimeter wide. Pistillate and staminate areas of the spike are contiguous and not separated by an area of bare stem. The fruit is a small achene. The pappus is a long tether, several times the length of the achene, connected to a parachute of fine filaments. The fruit usually separates in large, tangled masses of achenes that are very effective at riding wind currents.
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Typha latifolia, growth habit, photo Russ Kleinman, Burro Mtns., Mangas Springs, Aug. 24. 2008
Typha latifolia, spikes continuous, photo Russ Kleinman, Burro Mtns, Mangas Springs, July 1, 2009
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