| Eriophorum viridicarinatum | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Poales |
| Family: | Cyperaceae |
| Genus: | Eriophorum |
| Species: | E. viridicarinatum |
| Binomial name | |
| Eriophorum viridicarinatum | |
| Synonyms [3] | |
| |
Eriophorum viridicarinatum is a species of sedge known by the common names thinleaf cottonsedge, green-keeled cottongrass, and bog cottongrass. It is native to Canada and the United States.
Eriophorum viridicarinatum is a perennial sedge that forms tufts of stiff, erect stems, sometimes just a single stem, and basal leaves up to 30 centimeters long. It grows from a rhizome. The inflorescence is accompanied by two to four leaflike bracts each a few centimeters long. There are up to 30 spikelets, increasing in size as the fruit develops, reaching 3 centimeters in length. Each flower has a tuft of white or brown bristles that are long and cottony, measuring up to 2.5 centimeters long. [4] [5]
Eriophorum viridicarinatum was first described as the variety Eriophorum latifolium var. viridicarinatum by the German-American botanist Georg Engelmann in 1844. [6] Engelmann's description was based on specimens collected in Massachusetts and Ohio. [7] (The name published by Engelmann was hyphenated, as in viridi-carinatum, but the orthographical variant viridicarinatum is now widely used instead.) The American botanist Merritt Lyndon Fernald raised the variety to species rank in 1905. [8] As of September 2024 [update] , Eriophorum viridicarinatum(Engelm.) Fernald is a widely accepted name. [3] [9] [10] [11]
Eriophorum viridicarinatum is native to northern North America, where it occurs in Alaska and throughout much of Canada, its range extending into the northern contiguous United States. [3] [11] [12] It is widespread in eastern Canada, with spotty distribution in western Canada and Alaska. [1] In the United States, it is most common in western Montana, the Great Lakes region, and New England. [13]
Eriophorum viridicarinatum is an obligate wetland (OBL) species. [14] [15] Throughout its range, it occurs in marshes, wet meadows, bogs, fens, and wet woodlands, at altitudes up to 6,600 feet (2,000 m). [5] In the Pacific Northwest, British Columbia, Montana, and Wyoming, it typically occurs in montane and alpine zones. [4] In New England, it prefers fens and high-pH meadows. [16] [17] It is a strict calciphile in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Vermont, [18] [19] but its habitat broadens further north into Canada. [20]
