Eriophorum polyftachion. Many-Headed Cotton -Grafs» 



ERIOPHORUM Lin. Gen. PI. Triandria Monogynia. 



Gluma paleaceae, undique imbricatae. Cor. o, Sem. i. Land longifiima. 

 cinctaim. 



Raii. Syn. Gen. 23. Herbje graminifoli^ Notf culmifer^e flore imperfecto 



SEU STAMINEO. 



ERIOPHORUM polyftachion culmis teretibus, foliis plains, fpicis pedunculatis. Lin. Syft. Fegeiab. p. 87, 

 Sp. PL p. 76. PL Suec. n. 49. 



ERIOPHORUM foliis planis, fpicis pendulis. Haller. hift. n. 1331. 

 L1NAGROSTIS polyjlachia. Scopcli. Fl. Cam. n. 66. 

 GRAMEN pratenfe tomentofum panicula fparfa. C. B. Pin. 4. 

 GRAMEN tomentaiium. Ger. emac. 29. 



GRAMEN junceum lanatum, vel juncus bombycinus vulgaris. Park. 1271. Scheuzch. Agrojl. ed. 

 Haller. p. 306. VailL Bot. Paris, t. 16. f. 1. 2. Rati Syn. p. 433. Cotton-grafs. 



Lightfoot PL Scot. p. 89. 

 Hudjon Fl. Angl. ed. p. 21. 



RADIX perennis, repens, fufca, feu caftanei colons, | ROOT perennial, creeping, of a brown or chefnut 

 fibrillis plurimis albis, aut rubentibus in- \ colour, furnimed with numerous white or 



ftructa. % reddifh fibres. 



parum extantibus plerumqr 



ginis foiiorum per totam longitudinem teclus. | joints which project a little, covered through- 



% out its whole length with the fheaths of the 



I leaves. 

 FOLIA ima marcida, caftanea, brevia, lanceolata, ftri- ^ LEAVES next the root withered, of a chefnut colour, 



ato-reticulata ; fuperiora ban fuaarclf.culmum t fhort, lanceolate, ftriated, and marked with 



ampleclentia, tineas duas ad tres lata, fpitha- | fhort tranfverfe lines, which give them a re- 



msea et ultra, fenfire attenuata, faepe parse- | ticulated appearance, the Jucceeding leaves, at 



morf'a, hinc convexa, inde concava, glabra ; | their bafe clofely embracing the ftalk, from 



fuprema planiora, roulto breviora, et mani- % two to three lines in breadth, about leven in- 



tefte carinata ; vagifbe foiiorum culmi, aequali | ches or more in length, gradually tapering 



ubique fere magnitudine, ubi folium exitpaulo | to the extremity, where they are often bit off, 



laxiores, et fiflura membrana impleta notatae. ? convex on one fide, concave on the other, and 



I fmooth, the upper mo ft leaves flatter, much 



^ fhorter, and manifefUy keeled ; Jloeaths of the. 



¥ leaves nearly of an equal thicknefs through- 



| out, where a leaf goes off more loofely con- 



| necled, and marked with a fiffure filled by a 



I membrane. 

 BRACTEiE tres aut quatuor, longitudine inaequales, % FLORAL-LEAVES three or four of unequal lengths, 



bail vaginantes, culmum terminant, e quarum | forming fheaths at bottom terminate the 



finubus fpiculae prodeunt. | ftalk, rrom the alas of which the fpicuhepro- 



t ceed. 

 SPICULE plerumque plures a duabus ad feptem, ova- | SPICULE for the moil: part feveral, from two to feven, 



tee, immaturse erectae, per aetatem pendulae. ^ ovate, firft upright, afterwards pendulous. 

 CALYX: (pica undique imbricata : fquamis ovato ob- % CALYX: a /pike covered on all fides with imbricated 



longis, plano-iuflexis, membranaceis, laxis, | fquamae, of an ovate-oblong fhape, flat and 



acuminatis, flores diftinguentibus. Jig. 1. % bent in a little, membranous, loofe, running 



I out to a long point, diftinguifhing the flowers. 



% fig- i- 



COROLLA nulla. | COROLLA wanting. 



STAMINA: Filamenta tria, capillaria ; Anthers I STAMINA: three Filaments very fine ; Antherje 



ere&ae, oblongae. fig. 2. % upright and oblong, fig. 2. 



PISTILLUM: Germen minimum; Stylus filifor- | PISTILLUM:» Germen very fmall ; Style thread- 

 mis, longitudine fquamaecalycis ; Stigmata | fhaped, the length of the fcales of the ca- 

 tria, ftylo longiora, reflexa. fig. 3. J lyx; Stigmata three, longer than the ftyle, 



I turned back. fig. 3. 



PERICARPIUM nullum. % SEED-VESSEL none. 



SEMEN triquetrurn, acuminatum, nigrum, viliis fpica | SEED three-cornered, pointed, black, furnifhed with 

 longioribus inftrudum. fig. 4.5.6. 7. hairs which are longer than the fpike. fig. 4. 5. 



* 6. 7. 



The Genus Eriophorum is in a particular manner diflinguiihed from the other genera related to it, by the length 

 of the hairs which envelope the feed ; and which, when the feed is ripe, aflume the appearance of cotton, whence 

 its name of Cotton-grafs, this cotton is much longer, and produced in greater quantities in the ' polyftachim, than in 

 the vaginatum .-. and in Germany, and the more northern countries, has been manufactured into various articles 

 of drefs,, paper, and wicks for candles. LiNNiEus, in his Flora lapponica, informs us, that in fome parts of Sweden, 

 the peaiants fluff their pillows with it inftead of feathers, but that in Lapland, where the plant is fnfficiently 

 plentiful, they do not apply it to any fucfi purpofe, the fkin of the Rein-deer forming the whole of their bed 

 and its furniture. 



In the fpring,' Cattle appear to be very fond of its leaves, as they are generally found cropt, this may -arife from 

 the fcarcity of herbage at that feafon of the year, as the plant advances the ftems are always left untouched; it is 

 in moors and boggy ground only that this plant is found, and in luch filiations it is very plentiful; whole acres 

 being often rendered white as mow by it in the months of June and July when in feed. 



It Sowers in April and May, and may be found in Batterfea meadows. 



