Kalevipoeg's hair
Photo: Arne Ader
Translation: Liis
Hare's -tail cottongrass.
| Hare's -tail cottongrass |
Tupp – villpea
|
Eriophorum vaginatum |
The hare’s-tail cottongrass is the only cottongrass species in Estonia with a single tuft at the tip of the stem. In bog landscapes the plant really demands attention in June with its seed tufts. The seed tufts are falsely thought to be flowers, but the flowering is at the end of April.
The hare’s-tail cottongrasses grow with peat mosses, thus they tolerate an acid environment. They are the first plants or pioneers on abandoned or burnt peat fields, helping to establish better growing conditions for the species following them: sedges, mosses, downy birches ...
NB. Kalevipoeg's hair: Kalevipoeg (Kalev's son) is the hero of the Estonian national epic with the same name, often portrayed with very blonde, almost whiteish hair
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