Notable for its fluffy, white seed heads, which resemble a cottontail rabbit, Hare’s-tail Cottongrass is a moisture-swelling sedge - not actually a grass native to Scotland’s wetlands, moorlands and peatbogs. It loves acidic peat and plays an important role in indicating deep peat (50 metres or more) and healthy moorland ecosystems. During WWI, when cotton was inaccessible, the fluffy seed heads of Hare’s-tail Cottongrass acted as a substitute for wound dressings, as well as historically being used to stuff pillows and make candle wicks.
The Gaelic name for the plant, sìoda-monaidh, means ‘mountain silk’, referencing the beautiful silk-like appearance of the seed heads when they cover hillsides in the spring.
