Eriophorum vaginatum subsp. fauriei (hare's-tail cottongrass, "Watasuge")

Japanese name: ワタスゲ （綿菅）
Scientific name: Eriophorum vaginatum subsp. fauriei

[Overview]
A perennial found in nutrient-poor raised bogs of the alpine to subalpine zones, often forming large colonies.
It produces no stolons; hard stems 20–60 cm long grow in tufts and form large clumps.
The leaves are of two kinds, basal leaves and leaves alternate on the stem; the basal leaves are 1–1.5 mm wide, hard, and slightly three-ridged.
There are 1–3 stem leaves, but they consist only of a leaf sheath, and the blade is almost entirely reduced.
The leaf sheath is swollen at the top and is blackish and membranous.
A single spikelet 1–2 cm long is borne at the stem tip; it bears many densely packed flowers, and the scales are blackish green to grayish black.
After flowering, the thread-like perianth segments grow to 2–2.5 cm long, and the whole spikelet looks like a white, ball-shaped tuft of cottony hairs.
The fruit is a three-ridged achene.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by division; growing from seed is also possible.
It prefers a sunny, well-ventilated site with acidic, moist peat soil, and dislikes heat, humidity and dryness.
Plant it in sphagnum moss alone or in a wild-plant soil mix for alpine plants, and keep it cool in partial shade in summer.
Take care that it never runs out of water; during the growing season give plenty of fresh water every day or keep the pot standing in shallow water, and do not let it dry out completely during winter dormancy either.
It needs only a very small amount of fertilizer; after flowering, apply an organic fertilizer while watching the plant's condition.
There are no particular pests or diseases.

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