Eriophorum angustifolium (Common Cotton Grass)
Eriophorum angustifolium (Common Cotton Grass)
Eriophorum angustifolium (Common Cotton Grass)

Eriophorum angustifolium (Common Cotton Grass)

Common Name(s): Common Cotton Grass, Cotton Grass, Tall Cottonsedge

 

Botanical Name: Eriophorum angustifolium Honck.

 

Synonyms: Eriophorum polystachion var. angustifolium (Honck.) A.Gray, Eriophorum polystachion f. angustifolium (Honck.) Regel, Plumaria angustifolia (Honck.) Bubani, Scirpus angustifolius (Honck.) T.Koyama

Family: Cyperaceae

Distribution: Subarctic & Temp. Northern Hemisphere.

Ornamental Uses of Eriophorum angustifolium (Common Cotton Grass):

  • Bog and Wetland Gardens: Ideal for planting in moist, waterlogged soils, adding texture and movement to wetland landscapes.
  • Naturalistic Planting: Suits prairie or meadow-style gardens with its soft, cotton-like tufts swaying in the breeze.
  • Pond Margins: Perfect for edging ponds and streams, creating a natural transition to aquatic environments.
  • Wildlife Gardens: Supports biodiversity by providing habitat and food for insects and birds.
  • Seasonal Interest: Offers visual appeal with its fluffy, white seed heads in late spring and summer.
Category: Tags: ,
Spread the love

Eriophorum angustifolium (Common Cotton Grass)

Rhizomes short; stolons slender, creeping. Culms scattered, 35-114 cm tall, subterete but apically 3-angled, smooth. Basal leaves shorter than culm; leaf blade 2-9 mm wide, flat, leathery, margin scabrous, apex long acuminate and 3-angled. Cauline leaves 1-3; sheath blackish purple, long, slightly inflated; leaf blade 3-5(-7) mm wide, plicate or flat, apex 3-angled. Involucral bracts 2 or 3, dark brown, spathelike, erect, with leaflike blade to 12 cm, apex 3-angled and green. Inflorescence a simple anthela, with (1 or)2-10 spikelets. Spikelets ovoid to ellipsoid, 10-15 × 5-7 mm; peduncles unequal, flattened, smooth or scabrous, often dropping. Glumes pale brownish gray, ovate to lanceolate, 5-5.5 × 1.8-2 mm, membranous, 1-veined but sometimes obscurely 3-veined at base, apex obtuse. Perianth bristles 10 or more, white, 3-4 mm, soft, unbranched at ends, apex acute. Stamens 3; anthers linear, (2-)3-4(-5) mm. Style slender; stigmas 3. Nutlet black, narrowly obovoid, 2-3 × ca. 1 mm, compressed 3-sided, apex beaked (after Liang et al., 2010).

Cultivation: This plant thrives in containers or water features with 2 to 3 inches of standing water. Typically reaching a height of around 12 inches, it can grow taller, up to 2 to 3 feet, in certain regions. It spreads through both seeds and rhizomes. In its natural habitat, it is commonly found in wetlands such as marshes, bogs, shallow waters, and moist ditches. It also adapts well to consistently wet soils near ponds or rivers. This species favors acidic soil conditions and grows well in peat, sandy, or clay soils, flourishing in both full sun and partial shade.

Etymology: The genus name Eriophorum is derived from the Greek words erion, meaning wool, and phoros, meaning bearing, referring to the woolly seed heads of plants in this genus. The specific epithet angustifolium comes from the Latin words angustus, meaning narrow, and folium, meaning leaf, referring to the plant’s narrow leaves.

Related Species

Shopping Cart