Common Cottongrass

Eriophorum angustifolium

Common Cottongrass is a fluffy plant that grows in wet areas like marshes and bogs. Its soft, white tufts look like cotton and can sway gently in the breeze, making it a fun sight to see!

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Common Cottongrass has slender, grass-like green leaves. Its most striking feature is the pure white, fluffy, cotton-like tufts that appear in summer, making wet moorlands look like they're covered in snow.

KingdomPlantaePhylumTracheophytaClassLiliopsidaOrderPoalesFamilyCyperaceaeGenusEriophorum

Common Cottongrass

Interesting facts

Its fluffy tufts were once used by people to stuff pillows and make paper!

Reindeer and geese love to snack on the yummy stems of Cottongrass in spring!

This plant helps build up peat, a special soil made from super old plants!

You can even eat parts of this plant, like the young shoots and roots!

Special abilities

Common Cottongrass can grow in super wet, boggy soils that most plants can't, thanks to its special roots!

Common Cottongrass has incredibly light, fluffy seeds that can float far away on the wind to find new homes.

Common Cottongrass has underground stems called rhizomes that help it spread out and form large colonies in wet areas.

Measurements & details

Height: 20-60 cm
Bloom Season: Late spring to summer
Edible: Yes
Toxicity: None
Lifecycle: Perennial
Pollination Method: Wind

Ecological connections

eaten by

Reindeer

Rangifer tarandus

Reindeer and caribou graze on its shoots.

eaten by

Greylag Goose

Anser anser

Greylag geese feast on its tender stems.

eaten by

Norway Lemming

Lemmus lemmus

Lemmings forage on its leaves and stems.

Traits

Flowering

Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.

Grass-Like

Grass-like plants are herbaceous plants that visually resemble true grasses, typically having long, narrow leaves.

Edible

Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.

Fall Color

Fall color refers to the seasonal change in foliage pigmentation, primarily in deciduous plants, displaying vibrant hues.

Pollinator Magnet

Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.