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Eriophorum angustifolium

Common name:	Cotton Grass	Family:	Cyperaceae
Author:	Honckeny.	Botanical references:	17, 200
Synonyms:	Eriophorum polystachyon (L.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Arctic and temperate regions of Europe, including Britain, to Siberia and N. America.
Habitat:	Peat bogs, acid meadows and marshes[13].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	E. angustifolium ssp. subarcticum[B,P] E. angustifolium ssp. subarcticum var. majus[P] E. angustifolium var. coloratum[B] E. angustifolium var. giganteum[B,P] E. angustifolium var. majus[B] E. polystachion[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Common Cotton-grass [L], Cotton Grass [H], Tall Cotton-grass [B,L], Tall Cottongrass [P], Veenpluis [D],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	angustifolium = narrow leaved eriophorum = wooly
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Cyperales. Sedge family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.6m by 1m . It is hardy to zone 4 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from May to June, and the seeds ripen from July to August. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Wind. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid soils and can grow in very acid soil. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires wet soil and can grow in water.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Pond, Bog Garden.

Edible Uses

Root Stem.

Young stem bases - raw or cooked[172]. Usually cooked and eaten with oil[257].
Root - raw or cooked[257]. The blackish covering should be removed[172].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Astringent.

The leaves and roots are considerably astringent and have been used in the past as a treatment for diarrhoea[4].
Some native North American Indian tribes would eat the stems raw in order to restore good health to people in generally poor health[257].

Other Uses

Paper Stuffing Tinder Weaving Wick.

The cottony seed hairs are used to make candle wicks[4, 13, 100, 172]. They are also used for stuffing pillows[4, 74, 141], paper making etc and as a tinder[74]. Experiments have been made in using the hairs as a cotton substitute, but they are more brittle than cotton and do not bear twisting so well[4].
The dried leaves and stems have been woven into soft mats or covers[257].

Cultivation details

Requires boggy conditions or a pond margin and an acid soil[1, 162]. Grows well in heavy clay soils.
Quite invasive.

Propagation

Seed - sow in situ in spring in a moist soil in light shade. Germination usually takes place within 2 - 6 weeks at 15° c[200].
If the seed is in short supply it can be sown in pots in a cold frame. Place the pots in a try of water to keep the compost moist. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
Division in spring or autumn. Very easy, the divisions can be replanted direct into their permanent positions.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Alternative Lighting: Plant Oils and Waxes

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Eriophorum angustifolium ssp. subarcticum (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Eriophorum angustifolium ssp. subarcticum var. majus (a possible synonym).

[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for eriophorum angustifolium (a possible synonym).

[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures
[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures
[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures

References for the family Cyperaceae.

To be included in the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[13] Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975 ISBN 0-600-33545-3
Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[74] Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968
An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers.

[100] Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969 ISBN 0192176218
An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.

[141] Carruthers. S. P. (Editor) Alternative Enterprises for Agriculture in the UK. Centre for Agricultural Strategy, Univ. of Reading 1986 ISBN 0704909820
Some suggested alternative commercial crops for Britain. Readable. Produced by a University study group.

[162] Grounds. R. Ornamental Grasses. Christopher Helm 1989 ISBN 0-7470-1219-9
Cultivation details of many of the grasses and bamboos. Well illustrated.

[172] Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
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