Perennial species of cotton sedge found from the North Slope of Alaska to Pennsylvania, where it is more common in altitude bogs, swamps, and floating bogs. Unlike most other cotton sedges, E. vaginatum grows as large tussocks, but it is often found together with other cotton sedges like E. virginicum (East Coast) and E. angustifolium (West Coast). Unlike inflorescence of these species, however, tussock cottonsedge have a single flower head per stalk with bright white bristles that form as the fruits mature. It also co-occurs with many other tussock forming, semi-aquatic grasses and sedges, which may be difficult for the untrained eye to distinguish from E. vaginatum when they are not reproductive.

This plant is surprisingly resilient to wildfires, being capable of recovering and reproducing even more intensely only a year after a fire. This makes sense given that the seeds require bare ground to germinate and establish, and the main form of spread is vegetatively (tillering).