Woolgrass

Scientific Name: Scirpus cyperinus (L.) Kunth


Classification: Plantae/ Tracheobionta / Spermatophyta / Magnoliophyta / Liliopsida / Commelinidae / Cyperales / Cyperaceae / Scirpus L./ Scirpus cyperinus (L.) Kunth

Woolgrass
General Information
Usda SymbolSCCY
GroupMonocot
Life CyclePerennial
Growth HabitsGraminoid
Native LocationsSCCY

Plant Guide

Alternative Names

cotton grass bulrush, common wool-grass

Uses

Ethnobotanic: Woolgrass stems were woven to make matting and ropes. The fruiting tops of the plant were used as a resilient material for stuffing and making pillows (Moerman 1998). The small rushes were used in making woven mats and storage bags (Ibid.).

Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status, such as, state noxious status and wetland indicator values.

Description

General: Sedge family (Cyperaceae). Woolgrass (Scirpus cyperinus) is a tall perennial with slender culms. This species is an erect grasslike plant that commonly grows four to five feet (Tiner 1987). The leaves are smooth, flat, elongated, and up to ½ inch wide. The flowers occur in dense rounded clusters of greenish-brown spiklets arising from the top of the culm. The fruits are yellow-gray to white achenes surpassed by long red-brown bristles at maturity. Distribution: Scirpus cyperinus ranges from New England and New York westward across Ohio to Iowa, and southward to North Carolina and Oklahoma. It is also found from Newfoundland to Minnesota south to Florida and Louisiana (Tiner 1987). For current distribution, please consult the Plant profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site.

Adaptation

Woolgrass is found in irregularly flooded tidal fresh marshes, inland marshes, wet meadows, and swamps. This species grows best in areas with wet soil moisture content and is seldom found in more than a few inches of water (Voss 1972). It prefers peat or sandy soil types in full to partially sunny locations. R. Mohlenbrock USDA, NRCS, Wetlands Institute @ PLANTS

Establishment

Propagation by Seed: Scirpus cyperinus seeds should be sown in a cold frame as soon as they are ripe in a pot standing in three centimeters of water. The seeds germinate quickly. When they are large enough to handle, plant them into their permanent positions in early summer. Large divisions can be planted directly into their permanent positions. It is best to pot smaller divisions and grow them in a cold frame, out-planting when they are well established in the summer.

Management

After seed planting, water level over Scirpus cyperinus seeds should be maintained at one foot for two weeks, Periodic flooding up to three feet should occur until the seeds are established, Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin) Available through wetland plant nurseries, Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office for more information, Look in the phone book under ”United States Government,” The Natural Resources Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading “Department of Agriculture,” , Use soil moisture sensors to measure the soil moisture of Woolgrass.

References

Braun, L.E. 1967. The monocotyledoneae from cat-tails to orchids. The Ohio State University Press, Columbus, Ohio. Britton, N.L. & A. Brown 1970. An illustrated flora of the northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, New York, New York. Bruggen, T. V. 1976. The vascular plants of South Dakota. The Iowa State University Press, Ames, Iowa. Gleason, H. A. & A. Cronquist 1993. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. 2nd ed. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York. Moerman, D. 1998. Native American ethnobotany. Timber Press, Oregon. Radford, A.E., H.E. Ahles, & C.R. Bell 1968. Manual of the vascular flora of the Carolinas. The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Straughbaugh, P. D. & E. L. Core 1977. Flora of West Virginia. 2nd ed. Seneca Books, Inc., Morgantown, West Virginia. The Great Plains Flora Association 1986. Flora of the Great Plains. University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. Tiner, R.W. Jr. 1987. A field guide to coastal wetland plants of the northeastern United States. The University of Massachusetts Press, Amherst, Massachusetts. Voss, E.G. 1972. Michigan flora. Cranbrok Institute of Science, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and University of Michigan Herbarium, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Plant Traits

Growth Requirements

Temperature, Minimum (°F)-33
Adapted to Coarse Textured SoilsYes
Adapted to Fine Textured SoilsYes
Adapted to Medium Textured SoilsYes
Anaerobic ToleranceMedium
CaCO3 ToleranceMedium
Cold Stratification RequiredNo
Drought ToleranceLow
Fertility RequirementMedium
Fire ToleranceMedium
Frost Free Days, Minimum110
Hedge ToleranceNone
Moisture UseHigh
pH, Maximum7.2
pH, Minimum4.8
Planting Density per Acre, Maxim4800
Planting Density per Acre, Minim3450
Precipitation, Maximum60
Precipitation, Minimum40
Root Depth, Minimum (inches)12
Salinity ToleranceNone
Shade ToleranceIntermediate


Morphology/Physiology

After Harvest Regrowth RateSlow
ToxicityNone
Resprout AbilityNo
Shape and OrientationErect
Active Growth PeriodSpring
BloatNone
Coppice PotentialNo
Fall ConspicuousNo
Fire ResistantNo
Flower ColorGreen
Flower ConspicuousNo
Foliage ColorGreen
Foliage Porosity SummerModerate
Foliage Porosity WinterPorous
Fruit/Seed ColorYellow
Nitrogen FixationNone
Low Growing GrassNo
LifespanLong
Leaf RetentionNo
Known AllelopathNo
Height, Mature (feet)4.9
Growth RateModerate
Growth FormBunch
Fruit/Seed ConspicuousYes
Foliage TextureCoarse


Reproduction

Vegetative Spread RateNone
Small GrainNo
Seedling VigorMedium
Seed Spread RateRapid
Fruit/Seed Period EndFall
Seed per Pound36000000
Propagated by TubersNo
Propagated by SprigsYes
Propagated by SodNo
Propagated by SeedYes
Propagated by CormNo
Propagated by ContainerNo
Propagated by BulbNo
Propagated by Bare RootNo
Fruit/Seed PersistenceYes
Fruit/Seed Period BeginSummer
Fruit/Seed AbundanceMedium
Commercial AvailabilityRoutinely Available
Bloom PeriodLate Summer
Propagated by CuttingsNo


Suitability/Use

Veneer ProductNo
Pulpwood ProductNo
Post ProductNo
Palatable HumanNo
Palatable Graze AnimalMedium
Nursery Stock ProductNo
Naval Store ProductNo
Lumber ProductNo
Fodder ProductNo
Christmas Tree ProductNo
Berry/Nut/Seed ProductNo

Woolgrass

Woolgrass

Woolgrass

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