the Genus Eriophorum in Indiana 

bracts from the base of the inflorescence. 
Both tend to grow primarily in fens and sedge 
meadows in Indiana, occurring in other types 
of peatlands further north. Within Indiana 
they are mostly restricted to the northern tier 
of counties, with scattered populations as far 
south as Madison County (Kartesz 2015). 
The two can most easily be distinguished by 
looking at the base of the leaf-like bracts and 
at the summits of the leaf sheaths. In narrow- 
leaved cottongrass, the bracts are dark or 
reddish at the base and the leaf sheath is 
reddish at the summit. In tall cottongrass, 
these portions of the plant are green, the 
same color as the rest of the foliage. 
Slender cottongrass (E. gracile), another 
state threatened species, is one of our more 
easily overlooked species. It is shorter, barely 
reaching two feet tall, and grows in colonies. 
A single, stiff bract ascends from the base of 
the inflorescence but is much shorter than 
the inflorescence itself, measuring up to % 
inch. This bog species is mostly in Indiana’s 
northeastern region, with few occurrences 
elsewhere (Kartesz 2015). 
This brings us to our final species of 
cottongrass, and one that was discovered in 
the state for the first time in 2020, though it 
certainly was a member of our native flora in 
hiding. Few-nerved cottongrass (E. tenel/lum), 
soon to be listed as state endangered, is 
known from a single site in northwest Indiana. 
Prior to having collected it with my colleague 
Roger Hedge, the closest locations to Indiana 
were Kalamazoo County, Michigan (two 
counties north of Indiana) and Lake County, 
Illinois (Kartesz 2015). It is similar in many 
respects to slender cottongrass and grows 
in similar habitats. In fact, having collected a 
presumed slender cottongrass, | was showing 
the specimen to Paul Rothrock in Fall 2020 
when Paul noticed that the bract, although stiff 
and shorter than the inflorescence, was over 
% inch long. AS we examined the specimen, 
it soon became obvious that the leaf blades 
were also longer than the sheaths (shorter 
than the sheaths in slender cottongrass) and 
that the upper part of the stem was rough to 
the touch (smooth in slender cottongrass), and 
that instead of slender cottongrass we were 
actually looking at the first ever collection of 
few-nerved cottongrass for Indiana! Images of 
the specimen were sent to Tony Reznicek, a 
world expert on the family Cyperaceae, who 
confirmed the identification. 
As with all plants, and especially 
sedges, it always pays to take 
a closer look when making an 
identification. New discoveries can 
be made even in a small group like 
the cottongrasses. It is possible 
that few-nerved cottongrass is 
hiding out somewhere else in an 
Indiana bog, cottony white plumes 
dangling boldly among surrounding 
green foliage, just waiting to be 
discovered. 
References 
Arsenault, M., G.H. Mittlehauser, D. 
Cameron, A.C. Dibble, A. Haines, 
S.C. Rooney & J.E. Weber. 2013. 
Sedges of Maine: A Field Guide to 
Cyperaceae, University of Maine 
Press, Orono. 
Ball, PW. & D.E. Wujek. 2002. 
Eriophorum. Pp. 21-27. In: Flora of 
North America Editorial Committee, 
Eds. Flora of North America North 
of Mexico, Vol. 23. Oxford University 
Press, New York and Oxford. 
Kartesz, J.T. 2015. The Biota of 
North America Program (BONAP). 
Taxonomic Data Center. (http:/Awww. 
bonap.net/tdc), Chapel Hill, N.C. 
[maps generated from Kartesz, J.T. 
2015, Floristic Synthesis of North 
America, Version 1.0. Biota of North 
America Program (BONAP). 
Rothrock, P.E. 2009. Sedges of Indiana 
and the Adjacent States: The Non- 
Carex Species, Indiana Academy of 
Science, Indianapolis. 
Smith, W. 2018. Sedges and Rushes of 
Minnesota: The Complete Guide to 
Species Identification, University of 
Minnesota Press, Minneapolis. 


Top: The long, white penanth bristles 
of narrow-leaved cottongrass 
(Eriophorum angustifolium ssp. 
angustifolium) impart a cotton-like 
appearance to the dangling spikelets. 
Bottom: Tall cottongrass (Eriophorum 
viridicarinatum) looks similar to 
narrow-leaved cottongrass, but the 
bases of the bracts and summits of 
the leaf sheaths are green. 
Scott Namestnik is the botanist at the 
Indiana Natural Heritage Data Center, 
housed at the Indiana DNR — Division 
of Nature Preserves. He serves as 
the INPS Journal Team Leader and is 
a member of INPS North Chapter. 

Summer 2021 ¢ Indiana Native Plant Society - 13 
yIUJSOWEN }}09S 
