Green and yellow fox tails have spiked flower heads with the cylindrical shape of cattail flowers. Fox tails of the genus Setaria are annual summer weeds that grow, release seed and die within one season. They grow in loose clumps together or as single plants. Fox tails grow from 1 to 3 feet in height. Its cattail-like flower spike is bristly, with densely growing florets ranging 1 to 3 inches long.
Littleseed canarygrass weeds also have a densely packed flower head that resembles a cattail flower. It is a winter annual grassy weed with round, erect stems and leaf blade. The base of the leaf sheath has a reddish hue. Littleseed canarygrass has blue seeds that are hairy, flattened, oblong and translucent. The cattail-like flower spike blooms March to September.
Rabbitfoot polypogon, also known as rabbitfoot grass, is a clumping winter annual or a summer annual in cold weather regions. Its flower heads are shaped like cattail flowers but made of tiny, densely packed pale green to tan flowers. The flower heads appear soft and fluffy when fully bloomed in April through October. The rabbitfoot polypogon grassy weed grows in the same moist conditions in which cattails thrive.
Healthy lawn grass resists weed growth. Weeds germinate more easily in soil with low nutrient content. Maintaining lawn grass species with nutrient-rich compost fertilizer ensures healthy grass that resists weed growth. The least-toxic control strategies for weeds include hand-pulling, high mowing and the acceptance of a "certain level of weeds."