Eriophorum angustifolium
| Eriophorum angustifolium | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-6.5 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Eriophorum angustifolium (common name: cotton grass)
Propagation: Seed - sow in situ in spring in a moist soil in light shade. Germination usually takes place within 2 - 6 weeks at 15°c[1].
If the seed is in short supply it can be sown in pots in a cold frame. Place the pots in a try of water to keep the compost moist. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
Division in spring or autumn. Very easy, the divisions can be replanted direct into their permanent positions.
Cultivation: Requires boggy conditions or a pond margin and an acid soil[2][3]. Grows well in heavy clay soils.
Quite invasive.
Range: Arctic and temperate regions of Europe, including Britain, to Siberia and N. America.
Habitat: Peat bogs, acid meadows and marshes[4].
Edibility: Young stem bases - raw or cooked[5]. Usually cooked and eaten with oil[6].
Root - raw or cooked[6]. The blackish covering should be removed[5].
Medicinal: The leaves and roots are considerably astringent and have been used in the past as a treatment for diarrhoea[7].
Some native North American Indian tribes would eat the stems raw in order to restore good health to people in generally poor health[6].
Usage: The cottony seed hairs are used to make candle wicks[7][4][8][5]. They are also used for stuffing pillows[7][9][10], paper making etc and as a tinder[9]. Experiments have been made in using the hairs as a cotton substitute, but they are more brittle than cotton and do not bear twisting so well[7].
The dried leaves and stems have been woven into soft mats or covers[6].
Pollinators: Wind
Notes: This plant will do well in the pond margins
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Late Summer
Flower Type: Monoecious
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Also Known As: E. polystachion.
Links
References
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Grounds, Roger. Ornamental Grasses. Christopher Helm, 1989.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, 1969.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Komarov, Vladimir. Flora of the USSR. Gantner Verlag, 1968.
- ↑ Carruthers, S. Alternative Enterprises for Agriculture in the UK. Centre for Agricultural Strategy, Univ. of Reading, 1986.