Eriophorum L.
Cotton grass.
Cyperaceae, sedge family.
Sp. Pl. 52. 1753.
Vegetative morphology. Plants herbs; perennial herbs; 7–30(–80) cm high; caespitose, or not caespitose (with single unbranched culms); tussock forming bog or marsh plants. Roots colourless, or pallid-brown, or black. Ground-level or under-ground stems horizontal, or not developed horizontally or vertically; rhizomatous, or stoloniferous; elongate. Scales present, or absent. Aerial stems erect; triangular in cross-section, or circular or oval in cross-section; glabrous. Leaves in a basal tuft, or distributed along the stems; alternate; existing for a single season or less, or marcescent. Petioles absent. Sheaths persisting; forming a conspicuous build up at the base of the plant, or not forming a conspicuous build up at the base of the plant; greyish brown, or brown; with the margins fused to the apex; glabrous; collars absent. Ligules present; 0.3–1 mm long; membranous, or a fringed membrane (occasionally, seen at 40X); glabrous; ovate-oblong, or transversely oblong; apices acute, or obtuse; entire. Blades 30–300 mm long; 0.5–5 mm wide. Blades appressed to the stem, or spreading; straight; linear; triangular in cross section, or flat, or folded, or caniculate; veins parallel; midvein conspicuously larger than the lateral veins, or midvein similar in size to other veins in the leaf. Blades adaxial surface glabrous. Blades abaxial surface glabrous. Blade margins entire; glabrous. Leaf apices acuminate (trigonaous).
Reproductive morphology. Flowering stems present. Flowering stems conspicuously taller than the leaves; with leaves, or without leaves (in the upper half); uppermost leaf arising below the middle of the stem, or arising above the middle of the stem; glabrous. Flowering culm nodes not exposed. Leaf or reduced bract closely associated with the base of the inflorescence present; conspicuous and leaf-like, or reduced, or scale-like; shorter than the apex of the inflorescence; 4–50 mm long; sheathless; persistent. Inflorescence spicate; dense; oblong, or ovate, or globose or subglobose, or obovate; 1–12 cm long; 10–60 mm wide. Pedicels absent. Inflorescence a single spike, or multispicate; 1–5 spikes; lateral spikes borne on pedicels (if applicable). Individual spike(s) erect, or pendent. Bisexual spike(s) with empty bracts at the base, or without empty bracts at the base. Terminal spike with both sexes in each floret. Flowers small, less than 5 mm in diameter or length. Floral scales pale grey; with margins the same colour as the body of the scale, or with margins, and sometimes midvein paler in colour than the adjacent area of the scale; reflexed, or not reflexed (usually); acute; 4–15 mm long; 1–5 mm wide; glabrous. Perianth represented by bristles; bristles silky white, or translucent, or dull white or yellowish. Stamens 3. Anthers 0.5–5 mm long. Carpels syncarpous. Stipes 3 mm long. Styles 3. Stigmas per style 1. Placentation basal. Fruit not surrounded by a perigynium. Fruit surrounded by a perianth persisting as bristles; an achene; ellipsoid, or ovoid, or elongate-cylindrical, or obovate, or oblong. Fruit 1.1–3.5(–5) mm long; black, or brown, or golden brown; glabrous. Achenes trigonous.
Chromosome information. 2n = 58, 60.
Distribution. Northern hemisphere distribution: circumpolar, or amphi-Atlantic, or North American. Arctic, or high arctic, or low arctic. Range in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago widespread, or limited. Common, or rare.
Ecology and habitat. Substrates: wet meadows, tundra (bogs, fens, muskeg); aquatic, or imperfectly drained moist areas, or on seepage slopes, or on solifluction slopes.
Indigenous knowledge. The Inuvialuk gathered wild cotton when it was
dry and used it to make fires. Two different kinds of stone were used. One,
stone a white, hard crystal-like quartz would be shaped partly square and partly
round. The other stone called ingnak by the Inupiat is what prospectors
call fool's gold. Inuit would strike the two stones together to make some
sparks. These would land on the dry cotton and would ignite it to start a fire.
Inuit name suputik/suputauyak in Northern Quebec. Oil from the stem of
arctic cotton grass collected in the Spring may be effective against warts.
(Anon 1984).
The cotton-like ‘head’ of the plant, is placed on a
newborn infant’s navel, sometimes mixed with a little ground charcoal
first. This part of the plant is collected in the fall (Anon 1984).
Cite this publication as: ‘S.G. Aiken, M.J. Dallwitz, L.L. Consaul, C.L. McJannet, L.J. Gillespie, R.L. Boles, G.W. Argus, J.M. Gillett, P.J. Scott, R. Elven, M.C. LeBlanc, A.K. Brysting and H. Solstad. 1999 onwards. Flora of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval. Version: 29th April 2003. http://www.mun.ca/biology/delta/arcticf/’. Dallwitz (1980) and Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993, 1995, 2000) should also be cited (see References).