Etymology: Typha: the Greek name for this plant thought to mean "bog"
Plants: erect, perennial, emergent semi-aquatic, 3'-9' tall with many smooth stems; clone-forming from spreading rhizomes
Leaves: bluish-green to grayish-green, up to 1" wide, nearly flat, overlapping each other at the base
Flowers: brown, 3-parted; inflorescence a 12" spike with male (top) and female (bottom) flowers; blooms May-July
Fruits: hundreds of seeds packed tightly into a brown, cylindrical spike with no bare gap between the male and female flowers
Habitat: sun; wet to damp; ditches, marshes, shallows; in muddy soil
Conservation Status: Native - potentially invasive