Flora of the Southeastern United States

Eriophorum virginicum Linnaeus. Common name: Tawny Cottonsedge, Tawny Cottongrass, Cat's-paw. Phenology: Jun-Sep. Habitat: Peaty sites, limited in habitat throughout the region, occurring in the Mountains in bogs and fens, in the Piedmont (formerly) in bogs, in the fall-line sandhills in frequently burned pocosins and sandhill seeps, in the middle and outer Coastal Plain in pocosins, acidic seeps, and peat-burn pools. Distribution: NL (Labrador) and NL (Newfoundland) west to ON and MN, south to se. NC, sw. NC, e. KY; disjunct in se. GA at Okefenokee Swamp.

ID notes: Very variable in size, from 5-15 dm tall, with heads ranging from 1-6 cm in diameter, the larger plants primarily in the Coastal Plain and the smaller in the Mountains.

Origin/Endemic status: Native

Synonymy ⓘ: = C, Can, F, FNA23, G, GW1, Il, K4, Mi, NE, NS, NY, Pa, POWO, RAB, S, S13, Tat, Tn, Va, W, WV. Basionym: Eriophorum virginicum L. 1753

Links to other floras: = Eriophorum virginicum - FNA23

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Wetland Indicator Status:

• Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: OBL
• Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: OBL
• Great Plains: OBL
• Midwest: OBL
• Northcentral & Northeast: OBL

Heliophily ⓘ: 9