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Eriophorum chamissonis

Chamisso's Cotton-grass

At a Glance: Extensive beds growing from spreading rhizomes or stolons with tufts of cotton-like seed heads.

Height: 8-28 inches (20-70 cm).
Growth Form: Graminoid.
Stems: Rounded.
Leaves: Dark-brown sheaths at base; blades grass like, narrow, channeled throughout; size: .5-2 mm wide.
Flowers: Solitary spikelet at tip of stem; no leafy involucral bracts. Spike subtended by 4-6 large, sterile, dark-brown scales. Obscured by cotton ball.
Fruits: Seed-like achenes, each surrounded by numerous long, normally cinnamon-colored bristles; scales blackish, the slender midrib not reaching the tip; shape: oblong-egg-shaped; size: 2-3 mm long; color: brown.


Photo © Starflower Foundation

Sun/Shade Tolerance	Hydrology	Elevation Range
full sun > 80% mostly sunny 60%-80% partial sun and shade 40%- 60% mostly shady 60%-80% full shade > 80%	wet moist dry	low elevation mid elevation sub-alpine high elevation

Soil Preferences
(data not available)

Habitat Preferences
Aquatic and Wetland: Ponds or lakes Shallow pools Sloughs Swales or wet ditches Seasonally inundated areas Marshes or swamps Aquatic bed wetlands Emergent wetlands Scrub-shrub wetlands Forested wetlands Bogs, fens Seeps, springs Shorelines and Riparian: Lake shores Bog margins Streams or rivers Stream or river banks Riparian corridors River bars Floodplains Bottomlands Alluvial areas	Saltwater Areas: In or near saltwater Mud flats Tidal areas Estuaries Saltmarshes Brackish water Seashores Coastal dunes or beaches Rocky or Gravelly Areas: Coastal bluffs Cliffs Rocky slopes Outcrops Crevices Glacial outwash Gullies Slide areas Sub-alpine and Alpine: Heaths Snow beds Tundra Avalanche tracks	Forests and Thickets: Forests and woods Open forests Coniferous forests Old growth forests Deciduous forests Mixed forests Nurse logs Forest edges, openings, or clearings Thickets Meadows and Fields: Pastures or fields Meadows or grassy areas Mossy areas Disturbed Areas: Roadsides Trailsides Logged sites Burned areas Disturbed sites

Wildlife Value
Berries Seeds Nectar for hummingbirds Nectar for butterflies Host for insect larvae Thickets and shelter Thorny or protective cover	Birds: Bristles are used as nesting material by some birds.

Ethnobotanical Uses and Other Facts

Name Info: Named for Albert Ludwig von Chamisso de Boncourt, a German poet-naturalist and the botanist on board the ship Rurik, which visited Alaska in 1816-1817. Erion is Greek for wool and phoros is Greek for bearing.
Interesting Facts: In some aboriginal languages, it is given the same name as is eagle down.

Suggested References

Cooke, S.S. A Field Guide to the Common Wetland Plants of Western Washington and Northwetern Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society and Washington Native Plant Society. Page 293.
Hitchcock, C.L., A. Cronquist. 1973. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. Page 599.
Jacobson A.L. 2001. Wild Plants of Greater Seattle. Published by author. Page 415.
Lyons, C., W. Merilees. Trees and Shrubs to Know in Washington and British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 195.
Pojar, J., A. Mackinnon. 1994. Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Publishing. Page 407.

The landscaping and restoration information provided on this page is taken from Starflower Foundation Image Herbarium. All photographs © Starflower Foundation unless otherwise noted.