Burke: Eriophorum gracile

	Eriophorum gracile
	slender cottongrass
Habit	Herbaceous perennial, the slender culms 2-6 dm. tall, arising singly from slender rhizomes.
Leaves	Leaves basal and cauline, the blades elongate and narrow, usually under 2 mm. wide, the outer half deeply channeled; sheathes closed; uppermost culm leaf with blade shorter than the well-developed sheath.
Flowers	Spikelets 2-5 in a terminal inflorescence, pedunculate in an umbel, the peduncles slender, sub-terete; umbel subtended by several involucral bracts, but only one of them green and foliaceous; scales subtending the flowers blackish-green to greenish-brown; perianth consisting of numerous, white, capillary bristles 2-4 cm. long; stamens 3; style trifid.
Fruits	Achenes light brown, 2.5-3.5 mm. long, narrowly oblanceolate.

	Eriophorum gracile
Flowering time	May-August
Habitat	Wet places, middle to high elevation in the mountains.
Distribution	Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to the Rocky Mountains, east across Canada to the Great Lakes region and northeastern North America. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	E. angustifolium, E. chamissonis, E. virginicum, E. viridicarinatum
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, 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 gracile

slender cottongrass

Habit

Herbaceous perennial, the slender culms 2-6 dm. tall, arising singly from slender rhizomes.

Leaves

Leaves basal and cauline, the blades elongate and narrow, usually under 2 mm. wide, the outer half deeply channeled; sheathes closed; uppermost culm leaf with blade shorter than the well-developed sheath.

Flowers

Spikelets 2-5 in a terminal inflorescence, pedunculate in an umbel, the peduncles slender, sub-terete;

umbel subtended by several involucral bracts, but only one of them green and foliaceous;

scales subtending the flowers blackish-green to greenish-brown;

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

stamens 3;

style trifid.

Fruits

Achenes light brown, 2.5-3.5 mm. long, narrowly oblanceolate.

Eriophorum gracile

Flowering time

May-August

Habitat

Wet places, middle to high elevation in the mountains.

Distribution

Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to the Rocky Mountains, east across Canada to the Great Lakes region and northeastern North America.

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Origin

Native

Conservation status

Not of concern

Sibling taxa

E. angustifolium, E. chamissonis, E. virginicum, E. viridicarinatum

Web links