Plants
Rushes, Sedges & Mat Rushes
Sighting 4429162

Typha latifolia

Cat's-Tail at Mount Clear, ACT

Typha latifolia at Mount Clear, ACT - 23 Mar 2022 02:40 PM
Typha latifolia at Mount Clear, ACT - 23 Mar 2022 02:40 PM
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Identification history

Typha latifolia 15 May 2025 JaneR
Typha orientalis 24 Mar 2022 MichaelMulvaney
Typha orientalis 23 Mar 2022 JaneR

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User's notes

A few plants have established in Naas Creek. It would be a shame if these established plants spread

4 comments

MichaelMulvaney wrote:
   24 Mar 2022
Jane why would it be a shame isn't this bullrush a local native?
JaneR wrote:
   24 Mar 2022
Hi Michael
yes, it is a native, but it is an invasive native species. But if you have ever visited a typha swamp, you would be struck by the lack of biodiversity. This species is a very effective competitor. Because it has a robust rhizome and clonal growth, it can form tall dense mono-specific stands that exclude other plants: so it has the potential to lead to displacement and exclusion of small non-woody species.
I think of it as an ecosystem engineer, with potential to ecologically change a wetland system: and it is very resistant to management once established.

Recently (ie this 2022 summer) I have noticed isolated plants in quite a few wetland or swampy places in Namadgi, all young (ie 1-2 years old). Probably colonising following disturbance sequence of drought-fire-floods. It produces huge number of wind-dispersed seeds (little parasols, like a daisy): a few hundred thousand per spike.
Its native yes. But my opinion is that European settlement has helped it to extend its range and spread across landscapes by providing habitats for it to colonise and persist (farms dams; constructed wetlands; suburban lakes; weir pools; some storages).

That's my take !

cheers

jane
MichaelMulvaney wrote:
   24 Mar 2022
Thanks Jane
@ACTParks-InvasivePlantsTeam @NathanaelC
This is a thorny one - I wonder whether we should try and keep one of teh Namadgi creek catchments free of Typha
JaneR wrote:
   15 May 2025
on revisiting this photo, I am pretty sure it is the introduced species, Typha latifolia; which seems to be spreading northwards into the ACT and adjacent NSW.
Attention to ACT Parks
@ACTParks-InvasivePlantsTeam @NathanaelC

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Location information

Sighting information

Additional information

  • 1 metre to 5 metres Plant height
  • True In flower

Species information

  • Typha latifolia Scientific name
  • Cat's-Tail Common name
  • Not Sensitive
  • Exotic
  • Minor weed or pest
  • Up to 1163m Recorded at altitude
  • Machine learning

  • Ngunnawal language

    Gummiuk

Record quality

  • Images or audio
  • More than one media file
  • Verified by an expert moderator
  • Nearby sighting(s) of same species
  • GPS evidence of location
  • Description
  • Additional attributes
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