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Cottongrass at Ercavallo #3 - Tita Secchi Villa , 2011

Italian, b. ?

Oil on canvas , 70 x 90 cm.

#Tita Secchi Villa #italian artist #Rhaetian Alps #Punta di Ercavallo #cottongrass #mountain flora

Eriophorum, commonly known as cottongrass, isn't actually a grass at all - it's in the sedge family, Cyperaceae! It's found in the Northern Hemisphere from northern temperate areas into the Arctic. It prefers to live near water, and accordingly, these were found by South Fork Campbell Creek in Chugach State Park, Alaska. The pretty white bristles that attach to the seeds enable them to disperse on the wind and help give them some insulation in their cold habitats.

Despite its name, it's apparently too fragile to be spun like cotton, at least according to one spinner who tried, but historically it was used for small candle wicks and possibly as a medicinal plant and for stuffing.

#eriophorum #cottongrass #cottonsedge #plants of alaska #incidentally this is what “tundra cotton” is base on in skyrim #for all you gamers out there