High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Common Cottongrass (Eriophorum angustifolium Honck., syn. E. polystachion L.) is a plant from the sedge (Cyperaceae) family, so even though it looks like a form of grass, technically it is not. It grows in acidic wetlands and peat bogs all over northern parts of Europe, Asia and North America. The flowering stem is 20–70 cm tall, and has three to five cotton-like inflorescences hanging from the top. It is also sometimes referred to as multi-headed bog cotton. It is common in the Manchester area of the United Kingdom, officially the County flower of the Greater Manchester region.