Burke: Eriophorum angustifolium

	Eriophorum angustifolium
	many-spiked bog cotton, many-spiked cotton-grass
Habit	Herbaceous perennial from extensive creeping rhizomes, the culms sub-terete, 2-6 dm. tall.
Leaves	Leaves basal and cauline, the blade elongate, 2-6 mm. wide, flat, becoming channeled near the tip; sheaths closed; uppermost culm leaf with blade equaling the sheath.
Flowers	Spikelets 2-8 in a terminal inflorescence, pedunculate in an umbel, the peduncles compressed, smooth; umbel subtended by several unequal involucral bracts, 2 or more of them foliaceous above the papery base; scales subtending the flowers scarious, tawny to brownish; perianth consisting of numerous, white, capillary bristles 2-4 cm. long; stamens 3; style trifid.
Fruits	Achenes blackish, 2-3 mm. long, obovate.

	Eriophorum angustifolium
Flowering time	July-August
Habitat	Cold swamps and bogs at middle to high elevations in the mountains.
Distribution	Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to Oregon, east to the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, Great Lakes region, and eastern North America. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	E. chamissonis, E. gracile, E. virginicum, E. viridicarinatum
Subordinate taxa	E. angustifolium ssp. angustifolium
Web links	Local floras: BC, OR, WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Eriophorum angustifolium

many-spiked bog cotton, many-spiked cotton-grass

Habit

Herbaceous perennial from extensive creeping rhizomes, the culms sub-terete, 2-6 dm. tall.

Leaves

Leaves basal and cauline, the blade elongate, 2-6 mm. wide, flat, becoming channeled near the tip;

sheaths closed; uppermost culm leaf with blade equaling the sheath.

Flowers

Spikelets 2-8 in a terminal inflorescence, pedunculate in an umbel, the peduncles compressed, smooth;

umbel subtended by several unequal involucral bracts, 2 or more of them foliaceous above the papery base;

scales subtending the flowers scarious, tawny to brownish;

perianth consisting of numerous, white, capillary bristles 2-4 cm. long;

stamens 3;

style trifid.

Fruits

Achenes blackish, 2-3 mm. long, obovate.

Eriophorum angustifolium

Flowering time

July-August

Habitat

Cold swamps and bogs at middle to high elevations in the mountains.

Distribution

Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to Oregon, east to the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, Great Lakes region, and eastern North America.

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Origin

Native

Conservation status

Not of concern

Sibling taxa

E. chamissonis, E. gracile, E. virginicum, E. viridicarinatum

Subordinate taxa

E. angustifolium ssp. angustifolium

Web links