##  [Decrypting the Invasion of Non-native Cattails (Typha spp.) in the Fraser River Estuary, British Columbia, Using Morphological and Microsatellite Analyses](/resource/decrypting-invasion-non-native-cattails-typha-spp-fraser-river-estuary-british-columbia) 

Organization

[University of British Columbia (UBC)](/organization/university-british-columbia-ubc)

 

 

Resource Type

[Peer reviewed article](/taxonomy/term/37)

 

 

Author(s)

Gracy Buckholtz

Daniel Stewart

Diana Percy

Tara Martin

Quentin Cronk

 

 

Original Authors

Gracy Buckholtz

Daniel Stewart

Diana Percy

Tara Martin

Quentin Cronk

 

 

Contacts

[Daniel Stewart](/contact/daniel-stewart)

 

 

Resource Date:

2025

 

 

Hybrid cattail (*Typha × glauca*), a hybrid between native *T. latifolia* and introduced *T. angustifolia,* has been recently identified through macroscopic traits in the Fraser River Estuary (FRE), Canada. This detection represents a significant new focus of invasion for this taxon in North America. *Typha × glauca* has been referred to as a cryptic invasive species in the FRE due to its resemblance to other *Typha* taxa, and uncertainty around the reliability of identification based on field characters alone has slowed their detection and management. To test the accuracy of identifications based on morphology, we used molecular tools to evaluate 46 samples identified using morphology in the field as follows: 15 *T. angustifolia*, 15 *T. × glauca* and 16 *T. latifolia*. Taxa were identified in the field across three populations. We used microsatellite markers and admixture analyses to verify our field identifications and found them to be 100% accurate. All 16 field-identified *T. latifolia* and 14 out of 15 *T. angustifolia* were pure genotypes. One *T. angustifolia* showed possible evidence of introgression. Eleven out of 15 *T. × glauca* were clear F1s, whereas three showed possible, but relatively weak, evidence of backcrossing and one may represent a potential F2. Hybrid samples displayed heterosis in three of the six traits measured, and strict intermediacy in the others, providing further evidence that most hybrids are F1s. This study assists in the regional monitoring and management of *Typha* by providing the first genetic evidence of *T. × glauca* in British Columbia, and a morphological method for “decrypting” this invasion within the FRE.