2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Fluffy (lat. Eriophorum) Is a charming aquatic plant from the sedge family.
Description
Fuzza is a herbaceous perennial bog, endowed with creeping horizontal rhizomes. And sometimes you can observe the rhizomes forming small tufts (that is, medium-sized bumps).
The stems of this plant can be either contiguous or single, and their height can reach forty centimeters. The stem leaves of the cotton grass are rather short, and the basal leaves are a little longer. By the way, the leaves of this water beauty can be triangular, linear, flat or narrow-linear.
Numerous charming bisexual cotton grass flowers have a regular spherical or oval shape. Each flower is enclosed one at a time in the sinuses formed spirally located and covered with membranous scales. All of them form rather dense spikelets, either gathering in spectacular umbellate inflorescences, or singly located at the tips of the stems.
The fruits of cotton grass are tetrahedral or triangular nuts with shortened noses. The average fruit length is 1.5 - 3 mm.
Where grows
The beautiful cotton grass is most often found in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. By the way, some of its varieties are typical arctic plants. This aquatic inhabitant feels best in humid areas and in swamps.
Usage
Fluffy is an extremely good option for decorating reservoirs: fluffy snow-white balls give a unique flavor to almost any area. This plant looks no less impressive in heather gardens or rockeries. As a rule, the following varieties of cotton grass are used in landscape design: broad-leaved, reddish, narrow-leaved, slender, low, vaginal and Scheuchzer's cotton grass. And its fading inflorescences are often used in cuts when arranging dry or live flower arrangements.
By the way, some varieties of cotton grass occupies a very important place in peat-forming processes - in fact, it makes up the bulk of the so-called "cotton grass peat".
The once delicate puffs of this aquatic inhabitant were used for stuffing pillows, as well as in papermaking and for making wicks, tinder and hats. In the manufacture of cloth, cotton grass was used as an excellent admixture for sheep's wool, and for the production of high-quality silk or cotton fabrics, for silk and cotton, respectively.
In the tundra, this plant is the main food of reindeer - as soon as the snow melts, these beautiful animals rush to feast on the tender cotton grass.
Growing and caring
Since in most cases cotton grass grows in swamps, in swampy meadows and in moss bogs at a depth of five to ten centimeters, in gardens it is also recommended to plant it in miniature bogs or along the very edges of ponds in shallow waters. To grow this plant, acidic water and a sunny location are needed - only vaginal cotton grass is ready to put up with penumbra. And the soil should ideally be acidic, muddy or peaty.
Throughout the growing season, it is extremely important to try to prevent the soil from drying out. And immediately before planting the beautiful cotton grass, it will not hurt to add moor peat to it - later they also mulch the soil near the plants.
The spread of cotton grass on the site should be limited from time to time. It is best to prune the flower stalks in the spring, as ripe seeds usually stay on plants for a very long time.
Cottongrass propagation occurs by dividing the bushes in the spring or by seeds. Regardless of the method chosen, it will grow equally well.
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Cotton Wool
Cotton wool sometimes it is also found under such a name as Asclepius. This plant most often belongs to perennial species, but there are also annuals. Among the characteristics of the fleece, it should be noted its amazing decorativeness, the presence of medicinal properties, as well as a very pleasant and bright aroma.
Cotton
Cotton plant (Latin Gossypium) - a genus of amazing plants, reckoned to the Malvaceae family (Latin Malvaceae). The fruits of plants provide people with plant fibers, from which a person has learned to make clothes that are comfortable and pleasant for the body.
Air Cotton Grass
The charming cotton grass can be found mainly in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere, and some of its varieties are generally characteristic of the Arctic plants. Cotton grass grows mainly in humid areas; you can often see it in swamps. This plant is perfect for decorating a wide variety of reservoirs - fluffy little white balls will give the area a unique flavor. Cotton grass will look no less impressive when decorating heather gardens
Meat Red Cotton Wool
Meat red cotton wool (lat.Asclepias incarnata) - a representative of the Vatochnik genus of the Kutrov family. The homeland of the plant is considered to be North America. There, the species grows naturally, but is more common in the central part and in the east.
Syrian Cotton Wool
Syrian cotton wool (lat.Asclepias syriaca) - a representative of the Vatochnik genus of the Kutrov family. It is a type species of the genus. Other names are milky grass (since the plant secretes milky sap), swallow grass. The Syrian vatnik got its name not in honor of the place of origin, as many think, but by mistake.