Common Cattail vs Prairie Crocus - TreeTime.ca

Common Cattail vs Prairie Crocus

Typha latifolia

Pulsatilla nuttalliana (Anemone patens)

CUSTOM GROW

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Common Cattail
Prairie Crocus

Cattail is found all across North America, growing next to water. Like other waterside plants, Cattail provides erosion control and forage for animals.

It is suitable for land reclamation. Cattail is able to tolerate cold weather and occasional flooding.

Prairie Crocus is a native perennial wildflower that is often considered one of the first signs of spring. The flowers can range from purple, pale blue, to white and often appear before the snow has fully melted. It can bloom a month earlier than other spring flowers, providing an early source of pollen for a variety of pollinators.

The plant is covered in woolly white hairs, including the finely divided leaves, giving them a silvery appearance. Prairie Crocus leaves do not fully emerge until after it has bloomed. The spent blooms transform into fluffy, feathery seed heads. During the hot summer months, the Prairie Crocus goes dormant and will repeat its life cycle the following spring.

The Prairie Crocus is Manitoba’s provincial flower.

Common Cattail Quick Facts

Prairie Crocus Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 1b
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Height: 0.2 m (0.5 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 0.2 m (0.5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: wet
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: low growing, clump-forming
Spreading: seeds - medium, rhizomes - low
Suckering: medium


Toxicity: all parts toxic if eaten, sap can irritate skin
Foliage: thick, flat
Foliage: fuzzy, finely divided leaves
Flowers: yellow and green
Flowers: pale purple, cup-shaped
Bloom time: early spring
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, YT, NT, NU
Other Names: baco, bulrush, cat o nine tails, cossack asparagus, flag, reed mace, rush
Other Names: american pasqueflower, crocus anemone, pasqueflower, prairie pasqueflower, prairie smoke