Plant Profile: Eriophorum virginicum

This distinctive sedge, characterized by its flowers resembling a shaving brush, is a perennial plant. It thrives in environments such as bogs, wet meadows, and other sunlit areas with moist or saturated soil. Among the various cultivars of cottongrass, this particular species features a soft, cotton-like flower that ranges from white to tan and measures 1 to 2 inches in diameter. While many cottongrass varieties bloom in white, this one often displays a tawny (light brown) hue, which contributes to its common name, Tawny cottongrass. The flowering period extends from June to September, and the flowers are perfect, containing both male and female reproductive parts.

The lower 2 to 5 flower spikes are accompanied by leaf-like bracts at the base of the stalk, which can vary in length from 5 to 6 inches and may point either upward or downward.

The leaves of this sedge are flat, grass-like, and relatively few in number, arranged alternately along the stem. Each leaf is simple, meaning it consists of a single blade attached to the stem or twig, and is smooth and devoid of hair.

This sedge forms dense clumps and propagates through spreading rhizomes beneath the soil. Although it is not commonly found in North Carolina, it is generally native to the eastern half of the United States, with a greater prevalence in the cooler northern states.