Eriophorum angustifolium - Common Cottongrass - (Cyperaceae)

On marshy upland bogs in Wales you will see fluffy heads of Cotton Grass throughout the summer and autumn months. If you are visiting Wales, where we live, it is particularly plentiful in Snowdonia and on Cors Caron, the great red bog at Tregaron, in the upper reaches of the River Teifi.

Common Cottongrass is only visible from a distance when in fruit

Common Cottongrass cover a really boggy area of moorland in West Wales.

This plant is common throughout the UK but only grows in very boggy ground. It is the fruits that make Common Cottongrass so visible, they are dark brown and have white cotton-like hairs resembling cotton wool. The flowers appear in April to May and are followed by the fruits in June and July.

A closeup picture of Common Cottongrass

The fruits are dark brown with cotton-like hairs which are most visible in June.

The plants on this page were photographed in West Wales in June.