Eriophorum virginicum
| Eriophorum virginicum | |
|---|---|
| |
| Morristown, Vermont, USA (25 July) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Cyperaceae |
| Genus: | Eriophorum |
| Species: | E. virginicum
|
| Binomial name | |
| Eriophorum virginicum | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
|
Homotypic synonyms
Heterotypic synonyms
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Eriophorum virginicum, the tawny cottongrass, is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family Cyperaceae. It is native to eastern North America but was introduced in British Columbia in western Canada. It is most common in eastern Canada, New England, and the Great Lakes region. It is the only species of Eriophorum in North America that occurs in the southeastern United States, where it is uncommon. Despite its name, it is a sedge, not a grass, and it is sometimes called tawny cottonsedge to emphasize this fact.
Description[edit]
Eriophorum virginicum is a perennial herbaceous plant that spreads by means of underground rhizomes.[4]
Taxonomy[edit]
Eriophorum virginicum was first described by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1753.[2] Evidently Linnaeus based his diagnosis on a specimen collected in Virginia,[5] hence the specific epithet virginicum and the common name Virginia cottongrass.
Distribution and habitat[edit]
Eriophorum virginicum is native to eastern North America, from Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada to South Carolina in the United States (U.S.), ranging as far west as Minnesota.[3] It was introduced in British Columbia in western Canada.[6] In the U.S., it is most common in New England and the Great Lakes region.[7] It is the only species of Eriophorum in North America that occurs in the southeastern U.S.,[8] where it is least common.
Eriophorum virginicum is an obligate wetland (OBL) species.[9][10] In New England, it prefers bogs, acidic fens, and wet meadows.[11][12]
Ecology[edit]
Eriophorum virginicum flowers in the early summer. After the flowers are pollinated, cotton-like fruiting heads develop during mid-summer and early autumn.[13] In Minnesota, fruiting occurs from July to September.[14]
- Growth stages
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With flower buds, observed in Strafford, Vermont on July 2
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With flowering head (inflorescence), observed in Franklin County, Massachusetts on July 8
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With fruiting head (infructescence), observed in Jackson County, Wisconsin on August 17
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With persistent plant parts, observed in Benson, Vermont on June 27
References[edit]
- ^ "Eriophorum virginicum". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Eriophorum virginicum L.". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries; Australian National Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Eriophorum virginicum L.". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ Gilman (2015), pp. 134–135.
- ^ Linnaeus (1753), pp. 52–53.
- ^ "Eriophorum virginicum". State-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ "Eriophorum virginicum". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ "Eriophorum". State-level distribution maps from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ Lichvar et al. (2016).
- ^ "Eriophorum virginicum L.". National Wetland Plant List. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ Haines (2011), pp. 161–162.
- ^ "Eriophorum virginicum — tawny cottonsedge". Go Botany. Native Plant Trust. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ Ball, Peter W.; Wujek, Daniel E. (2002). "Eriophorum virginicum". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 23. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 6 July 2024 – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
- ^ "Eriophorum virginicum (Tawny Cottongrass)". Minnesota Wildflowers. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
Bibliography[edit]
- Gilman, Arthur V. (2015). New Flora of Vermont. Memoirs of The New York Botanical Garden, Volume 110. Bronx, New York, USA: The New York Botanical Garden Press. ISBN 978-0-89327-516-7.
- Gledhill, David (2008). The Names of Plants (4th ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-86645-3.
- Haines, Arthur (2011). New England Wild Flower Society's Flora Novae Angliae: A Manual for the Identification of Native and Naturalized Higher Vascular Plants of New England. Illustrated by Elizabeth Farnsworth and Gordon Morrison. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-17154-9.
- Lichvar, R.W.; Banks, D.L.; Kirchner, W.N.; Melvin, N.C. (28 April 2016). "The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings" (PDF). Phytoneuron. 2016–30: 1–17. ISSN 2153-733X. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- Linnaeus, Carl (1753). Species Plantarum: exhibentes plantas rite cognitas, ad genera relatas, cum differentiis specificis, nominibus trivialibus, synonymis selectis, locis natalibus, secundum systema sexuale digestas (1st ed.). Stockholm: Impensis Laurentii Salvii. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
External links[edit]
- "Eriophorum virginicum". Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. The University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- Weakley, Alan S.; Southeastern Flora Team (2024). "Eriophorum virginicum Linnaeus". Flora of the southeastern United States. University of North Carolina Herbarium, North Carolina Botanical Garden. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- "Eriophorum virginicum". North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- "Tawny Cotton Grass". Illinois Wildflowers. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
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