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Family: Cyperaceae
Chamisso's cottongrass, more...red cottongrass, red cottongrass, red cottongrass, whitebristle cottongrass
[Eriophorum altaicum var. neogaeum J.Raynal, moreEriophorum chamissonis var. albidum (F.Nyl.) Fernald, Eriophorum chamissonis var. aquatile (Norman) Fernald, Eriophorum russeolum Fr., Eriophorum russeolum subsp. rufescens (Andersson) Hyl., Eriophorum russeolum var. albidum F.Nyl., Eriophorum russeolum var. majus Sommier]  |
Plants colonial from long-creeping rhizomes. Culms solitary or few together, somewhat trigonous, (20-)30-70(-80) cm, stout, to 1.5(-4) mm diam. basally; basal sheaths persistent, brown to purplish brown, septate-nodulose. Leaves: blades filiform, trigonous-channeled, (2-)3-10 cm × 1-2 mm; distal 1-2 leaf sheaths bladeless, inflated. Inflorescences: involucral bracts absent. Spikelets solitary, erect, globose in fruit, 1.5-2(-4) cm; scales blackish to purplish brown; proximal empty scales not more than 7, obovate or trigonous-obovate, 4-20 mm, margins white or paler, as wide as dark portion, apex blunt; distal scales obovate to ovate-lanceolate, margins hyaline, 1 mm wide or wider. Flowers: perianth bristles 10 or more, red-brown to white, 20-40 mm, smooth; anthers (0.6-)1.5-3 mm. Achenes oblong-obovoid, 2-2.7 mm, as wide as long, apex apiculate (0.3-0.5 mm). 2n = 58. Fruiting summer. Peat, bogs, marshes, muskegs; 0-3000 m; Greenland; St. Pierre and Miquelon; Alta., B.C., Man., N.B., Nfld. and Labr., N.W.T., N.S., Nunavut, Ont., P.E.I., Que., Sask., Yukon; Alaska, Colo., Idaho, Minn., Mont., Nebr., N.Dak., Oreg., Utah, Wash., Wis., Wyo.; Eurasia. The Eriophorum chamissonis complex contains taxa based mainly on stem size and bristle color (M. Raymond 1954). Much of the variation appears to be continuous with abundant intermediates; experimental studies are needed to determine the biological basis of the variation.
Extensively colonial from creeping rhizomes, stems rather stout, 3-7 dm; lvs few, mostly near the base, ±with narrow, channeled or triangular blade 1-2 mm wide; bladeless sheaths 1 or 2, the upper near or below the middle of the stem; sterile scales few, obovate to triangular-ovate, blackish, pale-margined, ascending; anthers 1-2.5 mm; bristles reddish-brown to nearly white; achene dark, oblong-obovate, 2-2.7 mm, a third as wide, distinctly (0.3-0.5 mm) apiculate; 2n=58. Bogs; circumboreal, s. to N.B., Minn., and Oreg. Fr July, Aug. (E. russeolum Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp. ©The New York Botanical Garden. All rights reserved. Used by permission. |
