Common Cattail Sedge Carex typhina is a Michigan Native plant available at Wild Cherry Farm
Common Cattail Sedge Carex typhina is a Michigan Native plant available at Wild Cherry Farm

Common Cattail Sedge (Carex typhina)

from $3.50

Common Cattail Sedge is an attractive sedge that is a host plant to 11 species of butterflies and moths in our area (Illinoiswildflowers.info), including the critically impaired Macoun’s artic (mnfi.anr.msu.edu). Many wetland birds feed on the seeds or spikelets, including ducks, rails, sandpipers, and quite a few more (illinoiswildflower.info). This sedge prefers wetter areas and would be great for shadier rain gardens. Common Cattail Sedge is considered critically imperiled in Michigan, so while you may not be preserving the plant that was once here, you are creating habitat for all of the species that may need it for survival (mnfi.anr.msu.edu).

Photo credit: Doug McGrady

Size:

Common Cattail Sedge is an attractive sedge that is a host plant to 11 species of butterflies and moths in our area (Illinoiswildflowers.info), including the critically impaired Macoun’s artic (mnfi.anr.msu.edu). Many wetland birds feed on the seeds or spikelets, including ducks, rails, sandpipers, and quite a few more (illinoiswildflower.info). This sedge prefers wetter areas and would be great for shadier rain gardens. Common Cattail Sedge is considered critically imperiled in Michigan, so while you may not be preserving the plant that was once here, you are creating habitat for all of the species that may need it for survival (mnfi.anr.msu.edu).

Photo credit: Doug McGrady

Life Cycle: Perennial 

Sun Exposure: Partial- Shade

Soil Moisture: Wet-Medium/wet

Height: 12 inches

Plant Spacing: 

Bloom Time: June-August

Bloom Color: Greenish

Advantages: Bird Favorite, Deer Resistant, Great Landscaping plant

Host: 11 species of butterflies and moths use this as a caterpillar host plant in our area (Illinoiswildflowers.info)

Species of concern: State Status: Threatened (legally protected), State Rank: Critically imperiled (mnfi.anr.msu.edu)

Beneficial for Endangered or Threatened Species: Macoun's arctic (Oeneis macounii) (mnfi.anr.msu.edu)

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