linaigrette grêle, slender cotton-grass, slender cottonsedge
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bog-cotton, cotton-grass, linaigrette
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Plants colonial from long-creeping rhizomes. |
Herbs, perennial, cespitose or not, rhizomatous. |
20–60 cm × 0.5–0.8 mm, distally smooth. |
solitary or not, trigonous or terete. |
blades trigonous-channeled in cross section, to 30 cm × 1–2 mm; distal leaf blade 1–4 cm × 1–1.5 mm, shorter than its 3.5–5.5 cm sheath. |
basal and cauline; cauline leaves sometimes bladeless sheaths; ligules present; blades filiform to flat with filiform tip, to 25 cm × 2.5–4 mm. |
blade-bearing involucral bracts solitary, similar to distal leaf, blade usually gray or black proximally, 0.6–2 cm. |
terminal, spikelets solitary, erect or (1–)2–10(–30) in subcapitate or subumbellate panicle; involucral bracts 1–several, scalelike or blade-bearing and leaflike throughout. |
(1–)2–5, in subumbels, narrowly ovoid, 7–10 mm in flower, 15–25 mm in fruit; peduncles 5–30 mm, scabrous; scales black or dark gray with black tip, broadly ovate, 3–4 mm, scarious, margins absent or to 0.1 mm wide, 5–9-ribbed, midrib prominent, usually dilated distally, reaching tip, apex obtuse-subacute. |
scales (10–)20–200, spirally arranged, each subtending flower, or proximal empty. |
perianth bristles 10 or more, white, 10–15 mm, smooth; anthers 1–2.5 mm. |
bisexual; perianth persistent, of (8–)10–25 hairlike, smooth bristles, or very rarely 6 antrorsely barbed bristles, greatly elongate, essentially straight, usually obscuring most of scales in spikelet, much longer than achene; stamens 1–3; styles deciduous, linear, 3-fid. |
narrowly obovoid, 1.5–3 mm. |
trigonous. |
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Fruiting late spring–mid summer. |
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Meadows, bogs, shores, usually peaty, acidic substrates |
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0–4000 m (0–13100 ft) |
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AK; CA; CO; CT; DE; ID; IL; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; NH; NJ; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; UT; VT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; NU; ON; PE; QC; SK; SPM; Eurasia
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Mostly in cool temperate; alpine; and arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere |
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Species ca. 25 (11 in the flora). In some species the North American populations are considered to be conspecific with Eurasian populations; differences in achene micromorphology and isozyme data suggest that these relationships should be investigated more thoroughly. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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1. Perianth bristles usually 6, 3–9 mm in fruit, usually antrorsely barbed; spikelets 3–10 mm in fruit. | E. crinigerum |
1. Perianth bristles usually 10–25, 10+ mm in fruit, smooth; spikelets 10+ mm in fruit. | → 2 |
2. Spikelets solitary, erect, without blade-bearing involucral bracts; distal leaves on culms bladeless or with blades not more than 1 cm; proximal scales of spikelets usually empty. | → 3 |
2. Spikelets usually 2 or more, spreading or nodding, subumbellate or capitate, subtended by 1 or more blade-bearing involucral bracts, sometimes reduced to sheaths; distal leaves on culms with blades at least 1 cm; proximal scales of spikelets usually subtending flowers. | → 7 |
3. Culms usually solitary; empty proximal scales usually not more than 7. | → 4 |
3. Culms densely tufted; empty proximal scales usually 10 or more. | → 5 |
4. Anthers not longer than 1.5 mm; perianth bristles bright white; spikelets broadly obovoid to subglobose in fruit; fertile scales with hyaline margins not more than 1 mm wide. | E. scheuchzeri |
4. Anthers 1 mm or longer; perianth bristles red-brown to white; spikelets globose in fruit; fertile scales with hyaline margins at least 1 mm wide. | E. chamissonis |
5. Proximal scales spreading or reflexed in fruit, with white-hyaline margins to 1 mm wide; perianth bristles pure white in fruit; distal sheaths on culms inflated. | E. vaginatum |
5. Proximal scales appressed to ascending, without conspicuous whitish margins; perianth bristles white or brownish; distal sheaths on culms inflated or not. | → 6 |
6. Culms to 70 cm, smooth; sheaths evenly distributed along culms, distal not inflated, bladeless; proximal scales with broad ribless margins; perianth bristles creamy white to pale brown; anthers to 2 mm. | E. brachyantherum |
6. Culms not more than 25(–50) cm, rough distally; sheaths mostly confined to proximal 1/2 of culm, often with short blade; proximal scales with ribs ± to margins; perianth bristles white to pale brown; anthers to 1 mm. | E. callitrix |
7. Inflorescences with single blade-bearing bract; leaf blades channeled in cross section for entire length, not more than 1.5(–3) mm wide. | → 8 |
7. Inflorescences with (1–)2–5 blade-bearing bracts; leaf blades flat at least in proximal 1/2, 1.5–6+ mm wide. | → 10 |
8. Anthers 2–5 mm; longer scales 5–10 mm, proximal scales without lateral ribs. | E. angustifolium |
8. Anthers 1–2(–2.5) mm; longer scales 3–4.5 mm, proximal (2–)3–9-ribbed, lateral ribs usually thinner and shorter than central. | → 9 |
9. Distal leaf blades 30–250 mm, longer than sheath; culms scabrous distally; scales with at least some red-brown. | E. tenellum |
9. Distal leaf blades 10–40 mm, shorter than sheath; culms distally smooth; scales black or dark gray. | E. gracile |
10. Scales brown often with green center, ribs obscure or several equally prominent; perianth bristles usually brown, at least proximally, rarely entirely white. | E. virginicum |
10. Scales greenish gray to black with pale tip, midrib prominent; perianth bristles white or pale brown. | → 11 |
11. Scales with midrib prominent and enlarged towards tip, sometimes excurrent; anthers 0.8–2 mm; peduncles scabrous. | E. viridicarinatum |
11. Scales with midrib fading toward tip; anthers (2–)2.5–5 mm; peduncles smooth or scabrous. | E. angustifolium |
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FNA vol. 23, p. 25. |
FNA vol. 23, p. 21. Authors: Peter W. Ball, Daniel E. Wujek. |
Cyperaceae > Eriophorum |
Cyperaceae |
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E. angustifolium, E. brachyantherum, E. callitrix, E. chamissonis, E. crinigerum, E. gracile, E. scheuchzeri, E. tenellum, E. vaginatum, E. virginicum, E. viridicarinatum |
W. D. J. Koch ex Roth: Catal. Bot. 2: 259. (1800) |
Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 52. (1753): Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 27. (1754) |
- Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA
- Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, Go Botany, IL Wildflowers, MI Flora, MN Wildflowers, PNW Herbaria
- WildflowerSearch
- iNaturalist (observations)
- USDA Plants Database
- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
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