Common Cotton Grass

Eriophorum angustifolium

The cotton grass you are most likely to see here is the common cotton grass, known locally as ‘bog cotton’. It grows in the wetland areas, particularly valley mires, and the characteristic white tufts of the plant are most visible in late spring.

Cotton grass grows to a height of around 60cm and is not really a grass at all – the plants are more closely related to the sedge family, and the ‘hairs’ are actually modified petals and sepals that provide wind-assisted, long distance dispersal of the attached seeds.

The New Forest is also home to the very rare slender cotton grass (Eriophorum gracile) which can be distinguished by its narrow leaves.  You can also find hare's-tail cotton grass (Eriophorum vaginatum) and broad-leaved cotton grass (Eriophorum latifolium).

Cotton grass was once used for stuffing pillows and mattresses and for making candle wicks. In the First World War it was harvested with sphagnum moss to make wound dressings.