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Identification: Characteristics of Cattail Plants

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Cattails are tall, perennial, aquatic plants found in rice fields, drainage ditches, and irrigation canals. They have extensive and fleshy creeping stems (rhizomes). Leaf blades are stiff, rounded on the back, spiral in top half, and are sheathed together at base, appearing "flattened". The flower head is spikelike and very densely packed with tiny male flowers in the top cluster, and tiny female flowers in the bottom cluster.

cattail plant parts

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