The cattail, which is often referred to as lamp cleaner or cannon cleaner because of its striking inflorescences, is native to many bodies of water in nature. Its decorative appearance and other positive properties also make the plant a valued species for the pond in the garden.

The cattail is not in principle under nature protection

Is the cattail under nature protection?

It is often wrongly claimed that cattails are generally under strict nature protection. However, this statement is untrue, since widespread subspecies such as the broad-leaved cattail (Typha latifolia) and the narrow-leaved cattail (Typha angustifolia) are resident in many areas and are not subject to any special protection by the legislator. Exceptions to this are possible for subspecies with an exclusively regional distribution, as well as in some Austrian federal states. In addition, plants in small quantities and for personal use may only be taken from areas that are not part of special protection areas.

Cutting cobs for decoration

The various types of lamp cleaner also spread via the small seeds with hair threads. However, the cattail is relatively site-loyal and colonizes its respective stand in the swamp area within a few years through the spread of the rhizomes in the muddy subsoil. Therefore, removing and drying part of the decorative inflorescences for decoration purposes does not necessarily do much harm to a cattail stand. Note, however, that you may sometimes need to ask the owner of the property for permission.

Clearing actions for nature conservation reasons

In private garden ponds, cattails are used to combat heavy algae growth, as they consume a lot of nutrients and thus have a water-clarifying effect. However, cattails can become a nuisance in some locations for the following reasons:

  • it crowds out other plants
  • provides strong shading of the shore zones
  • can promote the silting up of water biotopes

Therefore, some ponds are "cleaned" of cattails with strenuous clearing actions when they are threatened with overgrowth. For this, the rhizomes are removed from the swampy subsoil as completely as possible. This is often not completely possible and small parts of the rhizome underground can be the starting point for a new spread.

tips

The decorative lamp cleaners can usually be found in nature in biotopes and in lake shore zones. Although most cattail species are not protected by law themselves, many bird sanctuaries and nature reserves may have seasonal entry bans and other restrictions due to breeding seasons.

Category:

Vegetable garden