[ S 63 ]
ERIOPHORUM polyflachion.
Broad-leaved Cotton-grajs.
T R IA N D R 1A Monogynia.
G en. C har. Glumes chaffy, imbricated on all tides.
Cor. none. Seed i , inverted with very long hairs.
S p e c . C h a r . Stem round. Leaves flat. Spikes rt>
veral, on flower-ftalks.
Syn . Eriophorum polyflachion. Linn. Sp. PI. 76.
Dickf Tr. of Linn. Soc. v. a. 289. H. Sicc.fafc. 4 .1 .
With. 7a. Leers t. 1. ƒ . 5.
Linagroftis panicula minore. Will. Par. t. 16. ƒ. a.
O b SERVED by Mr. Dickfon on bogs in Northamptonfhire,
afterwards near Dunftable, Bedfordfhire, in Yorkfhire, Cumberland,
and very commonly in Scotland, from whence we received
it by favour of Mr. Mackay. It is perennial, flowering
in April, and bearing its white tufts of feeds from June to A u -
guft or September.
Root fibrous, not creeping. Stem ereft, 3 feet high, round,
firiated, fmooth, leafy. Leaves alternate, much fhorter than
the ftem, flat, flightly keeled, linear-lanceolate, fmooth, towards
the top more acutely keeled, {heathing at the bafe. The floral
leaves are 3 or 3, dilated and membranous at their bafe. Spikes
feveral, ovate, on ftalks, which are fometimes branched, as in
our figure, but more frequently fimple. Glumes lanceolate,
filmy. After flowering, the flower-ftalks are lengthened out,
and the fpikes are pendent; the white hairs which inveft the
feed alfo grow out to a confiderable length, though lefs fo than
in the more common fpecies, figured in our next plate, which
was always in England confounded with this till Mr. Dickfon
diftinguiftied them.
The down of both fpecies is ufed in poor mountainous countries
for fluffing pillows, but there is a prevailing opinion of
its not being wholefome to deep on. It is too brittle to be
manufaftured into thread of any kind.