cotton grass

American  

noun

1. any rushlike plant constituting the genus Eriophorum, of the sedge family, common in swampy places and bearing spikes resembling tufts of cotton.

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cotton grass British  

noun

1. Also called: bog cotton.  any of various N temperate and arctic grasslike bog plants of the cyperaceous genus Eriophorum, whose clusters of long silky hairs resemble cotton tufts

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Etymology

Origin of cotton grass

First recorded in 1590–1600; so called from its cottonlike heads

Example Sentences

Southwards, the coast yields to low stands of dwarf birch and willow, sphagnum bogs of arctic cotton grass, pitcher plants, blueberries, lingonberries, and cloudberries.

From Scientific American

When the cotton grass heads were gone, the winds would lift the snow from the ground to the air and she would not be able to see her feet.

From Literature

“The ditch is already covered with sphagnum moss and tussocks of cotton grass. If we get the water higher, there is a good potential these species will spread out and make it suitable for conservation.”

From National Geographic

Days in the arctic tundra are spent navigating the fjord’s maze of floating icebergs by zodiac boat, kayaking the Greenland Sea, and scouting Arctic fox, hare, and loon during treks through fields of cotton grass.

From Time

The affected moorlands are protected by UK and European law for important habitats such as blanket bog, heather and cotton grass.

From BBC