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Cotton Grass
Eriophorum angustifolium

Cotton grass is a common grass species in Minnesota that can be found in bogs, marshes, prairie swales, and other moist conditions. It does well in peaty or sandy soils.

USDA symbol: ERAN6

General Information

Plant TypeGrass
Height2 feet
Light ExposureSun
Soil MoistureMedium
Bloom ColorWhite
Cotton Grass (Cotton Grass<div><em class="small">Eriophorum angustifolium</em></div>)
Photo credit: Minnesota Wildflowers (Click to enlarge)

Tolerances

Flooding / Inundation ToleranceModerate
General Resilience3
Salt ToleranceNone
Stress ToleranceFire Tolerant

Pollinator Value: None Known

Bloom MonthsMay to June

Project Planning

Project TypeShoreline Buffer
Coefficient of Conservatism8
Herbivore SensitivityMedium
LifespanPerennial
Rate of SpreadMedium
Soil StabilizationShallow
Vegetative ReproductionClonal

Range

CountyAnoka, Becker, Beltrami, Benton, Blue Earth, Brown, Carlton, Carver, Cass, Chippewa, Chisago, Clay, Clearwater, Cook, Cottonwood, Crow Wing, Dakota, Dodge, Douglas, Freeborn, Goodhue, Hennepin, Hubbard, Isanti, Itasca, Jackson, Kanabec, Kandiyohi, Kittson, Koochiching, Lake, Lake of the Woods, Le Sueur, Lincoln, Mahnomen, Marshall, McLeod, Meeker, Mower, Nicollet, Nobles, Norman, Olmsted, Otter Tail, Pennington, Pine, Pipestone, Polk, Pope, Ramsey, Red Lake, Redwood, Rice, Roseau, Scott, Sherburne, St. Louis, Stearns, Todd, Wadena, Wilkin, Wright, Yellow Medicine
EcoregionDriftless Area, Lake Agassiz Plain, North Central Hardwood Forests, Northern Glaciated Plains, Northern Lakes and Forests, Northern Minnesota Wetlands, Western Cornbelt Plains
Approximate Eco ProvinceEastern Broadleaf Forest, Laurentian Mixed Forest, Prairie Parkland, Tallgrass Aspen Parklands