UW Burke Herbarium species comparison

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Eriophorum chamissonis

Eriophorum angustifolium

Chamisso's cotton-grass, russet cottongrass

many-spiked bog cotton, many-spiked cotton-grass
Habit Herbaceous perennial from extensive creeping rhizomes, the culms stout, 3-7 dm. tall. Herbaceous perennial from extensive creeping rhizomes, the culms sub-terete, 2-6 dm. tall.
Leaves

Leaves few, mostly basal, with well-developed sheath and narrow, channeled blade up to 2 mm. wide; sheathes closed; uppermost sheath about mid-culm, often bladeless.

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

Spikelet terminal and solitary, with up to 7 sterile scales, the outermost enlarged, up to 2 cm. long; fertile scales subtending the flowers partly blackish-green, with the tip and margins paler, russet-flecked on a whitish background;

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

stamens 3;

style trifid.

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 dark, about 2 mm. long, obovate.

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

Eriophorum chamissonis

Eriophorum angustifolium
Flowering time May-August July-August
Habitat Swamps and other wet places from along the coast to middle elevations in the mountains. Cold swamps and bogs at middle to high elevations in the mountains.
Distribution
Occurring west of the Cascades crest and in the northeastern corner of Washington; Alaska to Oregon, east to the Rocky Mountains, northern Great Plains, and Great Lakes region.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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 Native
Conservation status Not of concern Not of concern
Sibling taxa
E. angustifolium, E. gracile, E. virginicum, E. viridicarinatum
E. chamissonis, E. gracile, E. virginicum, E. viridicarinatum
Subordinate taxa
E. angustifolium ssp. angustifolium
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the University of Washington's Burke Herbarium.



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