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| ## woolgrass {#woolgrass .Title-Header}                               |
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| *Scirpus cyperinus* (L.) Kunth                                        |
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| Plant Symbol = SCCY                                                   |
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Contributed by: USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center

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# 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.).

*Wildlife:* Woolgrass is one of several wetland species that are
important in providing food, cover and nesting material for waterfowl
and other wildlife. Woolgrass acts as a buffer against wind and wave
action, which permits other aquatic species to grow in otherwise
unfavorable environments. Muskrats eat both the foliage and rhizomes of
woolgrass. Voles eat the seedheads.

*Phytoremediation*: Woolgrass is a prevalent species in natural acid
mine drainage wetlands in West Virginal and Pennsylvania. Woolgrass is
useful in constructed wetlands for ammonium removal and the treatment of
municipal wastewater and ash pond seepage. Woolgrass was difficult to
establish in a peat-sand filter bed that was irrigated with sewage
effluent in Minnesota. The researchers concluded that woolgrass required
a wetter environment.

# 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 rhizomatous perennial with slender culms. This species is an
erect grasslike plant up to 6.5 feet tall, commonly 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. The
flowers are wind-pollinated and the achenes reach maturity in late
summer. Achenes are small and light. An estimated average number of
achenes per inflorescence is 108,000. The number of seeds (achenes) per
pound has been estimated from 27 to 45 million. The reported numbers of
chromosomes for woolgrass are 60, 64, or 70.

*Distribution*: Woolgrass 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. Woolgrass is an early successional species.
It often invades disturbed wetlands where the soil has been exposed by
drawdown. It tolerates a wide range of hydrologic, soil and chemical
conditions. It has been found in peat soils with pH levels as low as 3.7
and high as 8.4. Woolgrass performs well in created and constructed
wetlands for the treatment of acid mine drainage if the pH of the
influent mine drainage is \> 4. Woolgrass has been found growing in
title rice fields where the salinity was 9000 mg/L.

Though woolgrass will grow in water it is seldom found growing in water
more than a few inches deep. Mature woolgrass plants form raised
tussocks, which tolerate greater water depths than seedlings.

Woolgrass clonal clumps collected from an acid mine drainage
contaminated wetland were compare with clumps from an uncontaminated
wetland. Plants from the contaminated source population had more total
root length, more tillers, larger clump diameter and greater biomass
than plants from the uncontaminated source population when grown in the
presence or acid mine drainage. Plants from the two populations were not
different for growth characteristics when grown in the presence of tap
water. Variation for growth characteristics among individual clones in
the presence of acid mine drainage suggests a potential for genotypic
selection in woolgrass for increased growth in presence of acid mine
drainage.

# Establishment

*Propagation by Seed*: Woolgrass 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 should be just covered with soil. Soil should be constantly
damp until germination is complete. The seeds germinate quickly. When
they are large enough to handle, plant them into their permanent
positions in early summer.

A review of woolgrass seed germination studies suggest that woolgrass
seed is initially dormant and cold-most stratification followed by
divergent day/night temperatures (90/77 ºF) increase germination
percentage. Light appears necessary for germination of woolgrass seed.
Woolgrass seed, unlike seed of many aquatic species is apparently not
injured by drying. But, dry storage of woolgrass seed decreases
germination percentage. Seed can be stored submerged in distilled water
for extended periods. Woolgrass exhibited at least 50 % germination
after submerged storage at 37-39 ºF for 35 months.

*Propagation by Stem Division:* Divisions should contain both shoots and
rhizomes. 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

An ecologist suggested that a woolgrass community in Wisconsin developed
with the water-level control program. Water levels were drawn down, and
woolgrass seedlings established on the exposed mudflats. Seedling
density was highest on the driest portion of the formally submerged
area. Once established, woolgrass survived in this area after
re-flooding.

Woolgrass propagules should be planted in saturated, but not inundated
soil. Seedlings will not survive prolonged inundation at the time of
installation. During the first growing season following planting, water
depths should be kept at or near the soil surface as much of the time as
possible. But, standing water during periods when plants are dormant
such as winter and early spring is not as harmful. Once plants have
formed tussocks they can tolerate greater water depths for longer
periods. Tussocks formation takes several years from seedlings and a
year longer from seed. Water levels are critical though out this period.

Newly established woolgrass meadows should be burned each year usually
in the spring for the first three or four years; then once every two or
three years. Historically, dense woolgrass stands are best maintained by
mowing or prescribed burning.

Researchers studied primary succession in a created freshwater wetland
by comparing plant cover, species density and biomass in the created
wetland with that in a reference wetland. Woolgrass and cypress
panicgrass (*Dichanthelium* *dichotomum* var. *dichotomum*) were the
dominate species in the reference wetland. In contrast, blunt spikerush
(*Eleocharis* *obtusa*) and tapertip rush (*Juncus* *acuminatus*) were
the dominate species in the created wetland.

A slow plant decomposition rate in wetlands subjected to acid mine
drainage may result is a low level of nutrient cycling because a
substantial proportion of nutrients remain unavailable in the organic
matter. Two studies indicate that the decomposition rate of woolgrass
and common rush (*Juncus* *effusus*) were significantly lower that of
calamus (*Acorus* *calamus*) and rice cutgrass (*Leersia* *oryzoides*),
when subjected to acid mine drainage.

# Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

Muckalee Germplasm wool-grass was released as source identified material
by the Jimmy Carter Plant Materials Center (GA) in 2008. It can be used
in small constructed wetlands, wetland restoration and riparian buffers.
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."

# 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.

Deberry, D.A. and J.E. Perry. 2004. Primary succession in a created
freshwater wetland. Castanea: The Journal of the southern Appalachian
Botanical Club 69:185-193.

Demchik, M. & K. Garbutt. 1999. Growth of woolgrass in acid mine
drainage. J. Environ. Qual. 28:243-249.

Elling, A.E. 1985. Managing vegetation on peat-sand filter beds for
wastewater disposal. USDA For. Ser. Res. Note, North Cent. Forest Exp.
Station Vol. 333.

Flora of North America, Vol. 23, Cyperaceae, Scirpus, Scirpus cyperinus,
<http://www.efloras.org/flora_page.aspx?flora_id=1>

Gleason, H. A. & A. Cronquist 1993. *Manual of vascular plants of
northeastern United States and adjacent Canada*. 2^nd^ ed. The New York
Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York.

Illinois Wildflowers, <http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/index.htm>
Accessed: 10JAN2008

Kittle, D.L., J.B. McGraw & K. Garbutt. 1995. Plant litter decomposition
in wetlands receiving acid mine drainage. J. Environ. Qual. 24:301-306.

Larson, J.L. 1999. Woolgrass: A plant profile. Ecological Restoration
17:210-215.

Moerman, D. 1998. *Native American ethnobotany*. Timber Press, Oregon.

Native Plant Network, Propagation Protocol Database.
<http://nativeplants.for.uidaho.edu/> Accessed: 10JAN2008

Plants For A Future, *Scirpus cyperinus*. <http://www.pfaf.org/>
Accessed: 10JAN2008

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.

Sikora, F.J., Z. Tong, L.L. Behrends, S.L. Stienberg & H.S. Coonrod.
1995. Ammonium removal in constructed wetlands with recirculating
subsurface flow: Removal rates and mechanisms. Wat. Sci. Tech.
32:193-202.

Shipley, B. and M. Parent. 1991. Germination response of 64 wetland
species in relation to seed size, minimum time to reproduction and
seedling relative growth rate. Functional Ecology 5: 111-1118.

Straughbaugh, P. D. & E. L. Core 1977. *Flora of West Virginia*. 2^nd^
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.

# Prepared By

#### *Jammie Favorite*

formerly USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center

# Baton Rouge, Louisiana

# Species Coordinator

*James Henson*

USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Edited: 19jun02 jsp; 03jun03 ahv; 060816 jsp; 080205 jsp

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

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