Which group does cotton grass belong to? Cotton grass vaginalis: description. Description of the medicinal properties of cotton grass

Cotton grass genus name- eryophorum – comes from the Greek “eriophoros” - “carrying fluff”. There are 20 known species of this plant, distributed in temperate and cold regions of the northern hemisphere, and 1 species in South Africa; 12 species grow in Russia. Cotton grasses are very decorative during the fruiting period due to their pure white or bright red puffs. Some species are used in folk medicine. These are Scheitscher's cotton grass, vaginal, multi-spikelet (narrow-leaved), broad-leaved.

Cotton grass vaginalis- a perennial herbaceous plant typical of peat bogs. The root system of cotton grass is fibrous, consisting of many thin cord-like roots. As they grow, the roots form hummocks. Its numerous shoots - vegetative and flowering - are located tightly to each other. Such plants are called dense turf plants. Cotton grass overwinters with the green leaves of shortened vegetative shoots. Their plates are narrow and triangular. Blooms in early spring, flowering spikelets are yellow. The fruiting spikelets are broadly obovate, the puffs acquire a rounded shape due to the many long white shiny downy hairs.

Habitat- tundra and taiga zones of the entire Northern Hemisphere. Grows in sphagnum and sedge-sphagnum bogs, swampy forests, overgrown lake shores, and mossy peaty tundras.

In folk medicine, a decoction of the herb with fruits is used as an analgesic, sedative and anticonvulsant, for diseases and disorders of the digestive tract, for diarrhea, and for arthritis. Cotton grass is a valuable early spring food for reindeer and elk. Even at the beginning of the 20th century, cotton wool puffs were used in paper production, as an admixture to sheep wool, cotton, and silk. Cotton grass and some other types of cotton grass play a large role in peat-forming processes, making up the bulk of the so-called cotton grass peat.

Cotton grass is a rather rare plant in landscape design. Despite the fact that it feels good in different climatic zones in the wild, it will not take root in every area. Before planting it near the house, you need to make sure that the owner will be able to maintain all the conditions for the successful growth of cotton grass. There are certain risks associated with this plant that you need to be prepared for.

Brief description and photo of cotton grass

Landscape designers love cotton grass for its hardiness and decorative inflorescences in the form of soft balls

This plant is found in swamps almost throughout Russia; it is frost-resistant and moisture-loving. It belongs to the sedge family, that is, it is a tall grass from 30 cm (some varieties may be lower). Many people know cotton grass because of its small white inflorescence that resembles a fluffy ball of cotton wool. The leaves are bright green, dark, and quite dense. There are about 30 species of this plant in total, but only a few of them are used in landscape design.

In nature, cotton grass fields look truly fantastic

This plant is perennial. It begins to bloom every year in the spring, with the arrival of warm weather, with pale yellow flowers, after which a puff is formed, which is of main value when decorating a site. Growing in one place for a long time, it forms voluminous hummocks. It reproduces mainly due to the root system, so to prevent cotton grass from taking over the entire area, new shoots will have to be uprooted annually. The fluffy “caps” can remain on the plant until late autumn, but usually begin to dry out at the end of summer.

Properties and use in folk medicine

Cotton grass has become widespread in folk medicine, but official medicine does not recognize its medicinal properties and cannot be found in pharmacies. People have used this plant for centuries to treat inflammatory processes in the body. This culture has a pronounced diuretic effect and can remove uric acid salts.

For problems with the gastrointestinal tract, a decoction of this herb helps relieve pain, improves digestion, and acts as a mild laxative. It has a sedative property; an infusion of dry herbs is drunk for insomnia and anxiety. In some cases, the decoction is used as a local application for joint pain.

What varieties can be planted for cultural cultivation?

Of the 30 varieties of this plant, the following are usually used in landscape design:

• vaginal swamp (for a beautiful puff);
• Scheichtser (for low height);
• narrow-leaved (for an inflorescence consisting of several flowers).

Less decorative are multi-spikelet and broad-leaved. Cotton grass is often used for planting on the site. The height of this species is from 30 to 80 cm, the flower is about 3 cm in diameter, dense, and has a uniform white color. The flower is pale yellow, inconspicuous, appears with the first warmth. By the beginning of summer, a powder puff forms in place of the flower, which acquires a brown tint by autumn. The flowers are no longer suitable as an ornamental plant, so they can be cut off. This will not affect the propagation of the crop. Loves light and moisture, not suitable for southern Russia. Most often used to decorate ponds.

A good option for planting cotton grass would be to place it in the coastal zone of an artificial reservoir on the site

For an area without a pond, use Scheichzer cotton grass. She is short in stature, from 10 to 30 cm, and her puffs are very voluminous. It does not form tussocks during growth, so it can be planted on a lawn with decorative forbs. This is a frost-resistant species, suitable for growing in northern regions with short summers and snowy winters. Loves open space and acidic soil.

White clumps of cotton grass will add extraordinary beauty to a green lawn; it goes well with other ornamental types of grasses

Angustifolia cotton grass also likes cool weather, but is very sensitive to moisture and light. It is found throughout Russia, including summit swamps in the mountains of the South. The height can reach 80 cm, and the less space this type has, the higher it grows. The puff is white, loose, and the fibers can flutter beautifully in the wind. In early spring, an inflorescence of several spikelets appears, on which pale flowers are formed. Usually there are 4-5 flowers in such an “umbrella”, and then in their place there will be the same number of puffs.

It is better to use cotton grass on your own site without mixing it with other flowering plants.

How cotton grass can be used to decorate an area

In landscape design, cotton grass is most often used to decorate ponds. The plant loves a sufficient amount of moisture and good light. Sometimes gardeners try to create alpine hills using cotton grass, but these endeavors fail.

It is not recommended to plant cotton grass next to other plants, since it has a strong root system, which over time begins to actively develop and can “survive” its less resistant neighbors.

Combinations of white and peach shades are especially charming

The plant loves bright light and open spaces. For this reason, you should not plant cotton grass along the walls of the house; you need to allocate a separate place for it. Along the edges of a decorative pond, you can plant it next to ordinary sedge, but you need to monitor its further spread. In 4–5 years, it is capable of completely populating the banks of a pond, cutting off access to it. Low-growing species can be planted separately on the lawn, but you must also be prepared for the fact that you will have to deal with new shoots in the spring.

Only owners of vast lands can afford to decorate reservoirs with cotton grass.

Planting and further care

For planting you can use:

• seeds;
• ready-made plants.

It must be borne in mind that it is difficult to bring a finished plant from a swamp on your own, since not all cotton grass will take root with damaged roots. But in specialized greenhouses you can order ready-made seedlings, specially prepared for landscaping. It is best to use seeds; you can also buy them ready-made.

The seeds are not soaked in advance, but are planted directly into the ground. Despite the abundance of seeds in the powder puff, this plant does not reproduce by self-sowing. In nature, seeds are carried by grass-eating animals, while the plant itself also reproduces thanks to the root system.

What conditions must be created for cotton grass:

• acidic soil rich in organic matter (you can use homemade compost);
• a large amount of moisture (in nature, a plant always has access to water, so it will be most comfortable for it either with daily watering or on the shore of a reservoir);
• good lighting (grows well in open areas of swamps; it will be uncomfortable in the shade of a large tree).

After planting the seeds in the soil, water the bed, and then you can additionally add organic fertilizer or plant humus. In the future, additional feeding of the seedling may be required if it grows poorly. To better retain water at the roots of the plant, you can create a composition of mosses and lichens.

It is important to understand that creating an alpine hill with cotton grass will not work. She does not like dry soil and close proximity to other plants. Ideally, this culture should be created with conditions similar to those natural for its habitat in wildlife. She feels great where many plants do not take root. For this reason, the fluffy beauty is most often used to decorate areas in regions with cold climates.

So, although cotton grass grows in swamps in nature, it is quite capricious in landscape design. At the same time, it does not require careful maintenance and is suitable for people who do not like to tinker in the ground for a long time. You can plant it with seeds or ready-made sprouts; it is only important to choose the right place. The soil should be acidic, rich in peat. Cotton grass needs a lot of light and moisture. And in order to avoid colonizing the entire area, it is enough to uproot the new shoots that have appeared on the plants in the spring.

Cotton grass (Eriophorum)– herbaceous ornamental perennial marsh plant. Cotton grass belongs to the Sedge family. There are about twenty species of Cotton grass.

The root of Cotton grass is creeping or shortened, reaching thirty cm in length. The erect stem is covered with foliage and can reach forty cm in length. The leaves of Cotton grass are tubular, linear, flat and bright green.

On the peduncles there are spikelets in the amount of three to seven pieces. The flowers are spherical or oval, bisexual. The number of flowers is numerous. After the plant sheds its color, a fluffy white or orange head forms on the flower stalks.

The fruit of Cotton grass is a small triangular nut of dark brown color. Cotton grass is mainly used to decorate bouquets and is planted in the garden to decorate reservoirs and ponds. Cotton grass is a nutritious and complete food for deer and elk.

Cotton grass - care:

Lighting:

Cotton grass prefers well-lit open places. It is ideal if you plant Cotton grass near a pond or pond in your garden. Some species of Cotton grass can grow in partial shade. However, they mostly require regular sunlight.

Temperature:

Cotton grass is a frost-resistant plant. Since Cottongrass is most common in swampy and boggy areas, the plant does not grow or bloom in warmer areas. There is no need to cover or insulate the plant for the winter.

Watering:

Water the cotton grass regularly and moderately. The soil should not be allowed to dry out. Special care should be given to the plant during the growing season; watering at this time should be plentiful.

Humidity:

Cotton grass is a moisture-loving plant, which is why it can most often be found in swampy meadows and wetlands of forests.

Feeding:

For Cotton grass, you need to make soil in two layers, the first layer should be loamy, well-drained soil, and peat can be used for the second layer, possibly with the addition of sand. It is necessary to take into account that all marsh plants, including Cotton grass, need a lot of air and nutrients. Cotton grass is fed mainly with organic fertilizers. The fluff that the Cotton grass sheds over time can also serve as some fertilizer for the plant itself.

Transfer:

For Poshitsa, acidic soil with a high content of peat and silt is initially selected. After you have transplanted the Cotton grass, you need to mulch the soil around the plant. It will be good if you use peat as mulch. This plant is not planted deeply, about five to ten cm in depth. Like all marsh plants, it is not recommended to keep Cotton grass in the open air for a long time so that the roots do not dry out. If such a need arises, then you can place the roots of the Cotton grass in some water, so you can preserve the plant until it is planted in the ground.

Reproduction:

Cotton grass reproduces by seeds and vegetatively (by dividing the bush). The reproduction process is carried out mainly in the spring. Seeds should be sown immediately in open ground. If the temperature is not below fifteen degrees, then within two to six weeks, the first shoots will appear.

Some features:

Cotton grass does not reproduce by self-sowing, since the seeds do not fall out and last a long time. Therefore, inflorescences with seeds are collected in the spring, cutting them off. If the above-ground part dies in winter, it should be cut off. If the down feathers that form on the peduncles have lost their decorative effect, they should be cut off. Cotton grass root usually grows very quickly, so its growth should be controlled.

Cotton grass - diseases and pests:

To prevent the plant from being affected by diseases, it can be planted in containers, which are then placed in the garden plot. This will also allow the cotton grass not to grow, which is very typical for this plant. This plant is resistant to pests.

Cotton grass - from the Greek eriophoros - carrying fluff. The sedge family.

About 20 species are known, distributed in temperate and cold regions of the northern hemisphere, and 1 species in South Africa; in Russia - 12 species.

Cotton grass

Spreading. In the alpine swamps of Altai, multi-spike cotton grass and low cotton grass grow. Cotton grass grows in sphagnum and sedge-sphagnum bogs, swampy forests, overgrown lake shores, and mossy peat tundras in the tundra and taiga zones of Altai. Short-anthered cotton grass lives in sedge-moss tundras, swampy forests, swampy meadows, mossy banks of lakes and streams, etc.

Filmed in the Akkol Lakes area (Akkol River valley), Altai Republic

Botanical description. Perennial plants with creeping or shortened rhizomes. The stems are leafy, the middle and upper leaves are sometimes reduced to tubular sheaths. An inflorescence of one or more multi-flowered spikelets. The flowers are bisexual, sitting in the axils of membranous scales. The perianth hairs are numerous, after flowering they become very elongated and form a fluffy head above the spikelet - a powder puff. The fruit is triangular, rarely tetrahedral. Stigma 3, rarely 4.

Cotton grass in culture. Cotton grasses during the fruiting period (about 1.5 months) are very decorative due to their pure white or bright red puffs. Two types of cotton grass are cultivated - narrow-leaved and broad-leaved. They are usually planted at the edge of a pond or in the damp soil of a swamp. The plant is very noticeable with its collections of fruits similar to opened cotton bolls. They form on thin stems in summer. All types of cotton grass reproduce by dividing the bush in the spring.

Cotton grass vaginalis

Application in medicine. In our folk medicine, cotton grass is considered a remedy for stomach ulcers and other gastrointestinal diseases. The leaves can be used to prepare an astringent medicine for diarrhea.

Use of cotton grass. Cotton grass and some other types of cotton grass play a large role in peat-forming processes, making up the bulk of the so-called cotton grass peat. Cotton puffs were used in paper production, as an admixture to sheep wool, cotton, and silk. It is food for reindeer and moose.

Perennial rhizomatous herbs 12px, widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, grow mainly in swamps and other wet places 12px. The genus includes about 30 species 12px, about half of them are found in the territory of the former USSR. In spring, plants of this genus, especially Cotton grass, play an important role as food plants for all herbivores of the tundra 12px.

Spreading

Representatives of the genus are distributed mainly in temperate and cold zones of the Northern Hemisphere, including. Most species have a wide range. A number of species are among the characteristic plants of the Arctic.

They are found mostly in the arctic and forest zones, as well as in the alpine mountain belt - in wet areas, often in swamps, along forests and the banks of reservoirs. Some species, for example cotton grass, prefer raised bogs ( Eriophorum vaginatum), others usually grow in lowland and spring swamps ( Eriophorum angustifolium, Eriophorum latifolium) .

In the Arctic, cotton grass grows in different types of swampy tundra: in peat areas covered with dense moss, in places with open soil devoid of a significantly developed moss cover. Some species have a positive effect on moss trampling by reindeer and other changes in vegetation cover associated with human activity, and become roadside plants.

Botanical description

Meaning, application

All representatives of the genus are peat formers; Some species play a very important role in peat-forming processes, making up the bulk of the so-called “cotton grass peat”.

Puffs were previously used for stuffing pillows, in paper production, for making wicks, tinder, hats, as an admixture with sheep's wool in the manufacture of cloth fabrics or with cotton, silk in the manufacture of cotton, silk fabrics, etc.

Classification

Taxonomic position

Kinds

According to the database The Plant List(2013), the genus includes 27 species (including 7 hybrids):

• Eriophorum angustifoliumHonck.- Cotton grass angustifolia. The species is better known by a name that is now considered a synonym: Eriophorum polystachion - Multi-spike cotton grass. Eurasia, North America. Plant of lowland and spring marshes
• Eriophorum × beringianumRaymond = Eriophorum angustifolium × Eriophorum chamissonis. Alaska, Aleutian Islands, Magadan region
• Eriophorum brachyantherumTrautv. & C.A.Mey.- Short-anthered cotton grass. Eurasia, North America
• Eriophorum callitrixCham. ex C.A.Mey.- Beautifully bristle cotton grass. Arctic Siberia, North America
• Eriophorum chamissonisC.A.Mey.- Cotton grass Shamisso. Eurasia, North America
• Eriophorum churchillianumLepage
• Eriophorum comosum(Wall.) Nees
• Eriophorum crinigerum(A. Gray) Beetle
• Eriophorum × fellowsii(Fernald) M.S.Novos. = Eriophorum virginicum × Eriophorum viridicarinatum. Western USA, Canada
• Eriophorum gracileKoch- Cotton grass is slender. Eurasia, North America
• Eriophorum × gracilifoliumM.S.Novos. = Eriophorum gracile × Eriophorum latifolium. european part of Russia
• Eriophorum humileTurcz.- Cotton grass is low. Siberia, Far East, Central Asia
• Eriophorum latifoliumHoppe- Broad-leaved cotton grass. Eurasia, North America. Plant of lowland and spring marshes
• Eriophorum × mediumAndersson- Cotton grass average = Eriophorum chamissonis × Eriophorum scheuchzeri. Eurasia, North America
• Eriophorum microstachyumBoeckeler
• Eriophorum × polystachiovaginatumBeauverd = Eriophorum angustifolium × Eriophorum vaginatum
• Eriophorum porsildiiRaymond
• Eriophorum × pylaieanumRaymond = Eriophorum chamissonis × Eriophorum vaginatum. North America
• Eriophorum × rousseauianumRaymond = Eriophorum angustifolium × Eriophorum scheuchzeri. North America
• Eriophorum scabriculme(Beetle) Raymond. Vietnam
• Eriophorum scheuchzeriHoppe- Scheichzer's cotton grass. Eurasia, North America (including Greenland)
• Eriophorum tenellumNutt. North America
• Eriophorum tolmatcheviiM.S.Novos.- Cotton grass Tolmacheva. Yakutia
• Eriophorum transiensRaymond. China
• Eriophorum vaginatum typus- Cotton grass vaginalis. Eurasia, North America. Raised bog plant, forms hummocks
• Eriophorum virginicum- Virginia cotton grass. North America
• Eriophorum viridicarinatum(Engelm.) Fernald. North America

Seven more species names of this genus in The Plant List(2013) have the status unresolved name, that is, regarding them it is impossible to say unambiguously whether they should be used - or whether they should be reduced to synonymy of other species.