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many-spike bog cotton, many-spike cotton-grass, narrow-leaf cotton-grass, tall cottongrass, tall cottonsedge

Photo is of parent taxon

linaigrette à feuilles étroites, many-spike cottongrass, tall cottongrass

Habit Plants colonial from long-creeping rhizomes.
Culms

to 100 cm × (0.8–)1–1.2 mm distally.

20–100 cm.

Leaves

blades flat, tip trigonous, channeled in cross section, to 40 cm × 1.5–6(–8) mm;

distal leaf blade much longer than sheath.

Inflorescences

blade-bearing involucral bracts 1–3, proximally blade, often sheath black, leaflike, longest 1–12 cm.

larger involucral bracts 2–12 cm;

peduncles 5–60 mm, glabrous or scabrous on angles.

Spikelets

(1–)2–10, in subumbels, patent or pendent, ovoid, 10–20 mm in flower, 20–50 mm in fruit;

peduncles 5–60 mm, smooth or scabrous;

scales lanceolate or ovate, 5–10 mm, with prominent midrib fading proximal to tip, apex ± acute;

proximal scales without lateral ribs.

Flowers

perianth bristles 10 or more, white or pale yellow brown, 15–30 mm, smooth;

anthers 2–5 mm.

Achenes

black, oblanceoloid, 2–5 mm.

Scales

brown to gray proximally, paler distally, usually with broad white membranous margins.

2n

= 58.

Eriophorum angustifolium

Eriophorum angustifolium subsp. angustifolium

Phenology Fruiting summer.
Habitat Marshes, bogs, fens, meadows, shores
Elevation 0–3500 m (0–11500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CO; IA; ID; IL; IN; ME; MI; MN; MT; ND; NE; NM; NY; OR; SD; UT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NS; NT; NU; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; n Eurasia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CO; IA; ID; IL; IN; ME; MI; MN; MT; ND; NE; NM; NY; OR; SD; UT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; NU; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; SPM; Greenland; Eurasia
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

eriophorum polystachion linnaeus is a rejected name

Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Peduncles glabrous or scabrous on angles; culms 20–100 cm.
subsp. angustifolium
1. Peduncles usually scabrous all around; culms not more than 30 cm.
subsp. triste
Source FNA vol. 23, p. 23. FNA vol. 23, p. 24.
Parent taxa Cyperaceae > Eriophorum Cyperaceae > Eriophorum > Eriophorum angustifolium
Sibling taxa
E. brachyantherum, E. callitrix, E. chamissonis, E. crinigerum, E. gracile, E. scheuchzeri, E. tenellum, E. vaginatum, E. virginicum, E. viridicarinatum
E. angustifolium subsp. triste
Subordinate taxa
E. angustifolium subsp. angustifolium, E. angustifolium subsp. triste
Name authority Honckeny: Verz. Gew. Teutschl., 153. (1782) unknown
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