''Eriocaulon'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of

monocotyledon Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, ( Lilianae ''sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are grass and grass-like flowering plants (angiosperms), the seeds of which typically contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. They constitute one of ...

ous

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...

s in the family

Eriocaulaceae The Eriocaulaceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the order Poales, commonly known as the pipewort family. The family is large, with about 1207 known species described in seven genera. They are widely distributed, with the ce ...

. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

regions, particularly southern

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...

and the Americas. A few species extend to

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

regions, with ca. 10 species in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

, mostly in the southern states from

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

, and only two species in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

; China has 35 species, also mostly southern. Only one species (''E. aquaticum'') occurs in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

, where it is confined to the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...

coasts of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

; this species also occurs in eastern North America and is thought to be a relatively recent natural colonist in Europe. In the Americas, ''Eriocaulon'' is the only genus in its family that occurs north of Florida. They tend to be associated with wet soils, many growing in shallow water, in

wetlands A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free ( anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

, or in wet savannas like

flatwoods Flatwoods, pineywoods, pine savannas and longleaf pine-wiregrass ecosystem are terms that refer to an ecological community in the southeastern coastal plain of North America. Flatwoods are an ecosystem maintained by wildfire or prescribed fire a ...

. In wet soils, their abundance appears to be related to water levels, fire frequency, and competition from other plants such as grasses. Experiments have shown that they are weak competitors compared to many other wetland plant species. Some species can persist as buried seeds during unfavorable conditions.Keddy, P. A. and A. A. Reznicek. 1982. The role of seed banks in the persistence of Ontario's coastal plain flora. ''American Journal of Botany'' 69:13-22. The scientific name is derived from

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

εριον, , meaning 'wool', and καυλός, , meaning 'stalk'. The species are mostly

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition ...

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

s, though some are annual plants; they resemble plants in the related families

Cyperaceae The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus '' Carex'' ...

(sedges) and

Juncaceae Juncaceae is a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the rush family. It consists of 8 genera and about 464 known species of slow-growing, rhizomatous, herbaceous monocotyledonous plants that may superficially resemble grasses and s ...

(rushes), and like them, have rather small, wind-pollinated

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

Selected species

Names were sourced from official sources including: the ''Flora of North America'', the ''Flora of China'', currently accepted Australian taxa from the ''

Australian Plant Name Index The Australian Plant Name Index (APNI) is an online database of all published names of Australian vascular plants. It covers all names, whether current names, synonyms or invalid names. It includes bibliographic and typification details, informati ...

'', etc.. * '' Eriocaulon achiton'' * '' Eriocaulon acutibracteatum'' * '' Eriocaulon aethiopicum'' * '' Eriocaulon albocapitatum'' * '' Eriocaulon aloefolium'' – Qld, Australia * '' Eriocaulon alpestre'' * '' Eriocaulon angustulum'' * '' Eriocaulon anshiense'' * '' Eriocaulon apetalum'' * '' Eriocaulon aquaticum'' – n. Europe & e. North America * '' Eriocaulon asteroides'' * '' Eriocaulon athertonense'' – Qld, Australia * ''

Eriocaulon atrum ''Eriocaulon'' is a genus of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical ...

'' * '' Eriocaulon australasicum'' – SA, NSW, Vic, Australia * '' Eriocaulon australe'' – Cambodia, China, W Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, NT, Qld, NSW, Australia, Pacific Islands * '' Eriocaulon balakrishnanii'' * '' Eriocaulon bamendae'' * '' Eriocaulon baramaticum'' * '' Eriocaulon barbeyanum'' * ''

Eriocaulon benthamii ''Eriocaulon'' is a genus of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical ...

'' * '' Eriocaulon bifistulosum'' – Qld, Australia * '' Eriocaulon bolei'' * '' Eriocaulon brevipedunculatum'' * '' Eriocaulon breviscapum'' * '' Eriocaulon brownianum'' * '' Eriocaulon buergerianum'' * '' Eriocaulon carpentariae'' – NT, Qld, Australia * '' Eriocaulon carsonii'' – SA, Qld, NSW, Australia ** subsp. ''carsonii'' – SA, Qld, NSW, Australia ** subsp. ''euloense'' – Qld, Australia ** subsp. ''orientale'' – Qld, Australia * '' Eriocaulon cauliferum'' Makino(1910) - Japan * '' Eriocaulon chinorossicum'' * ''

Eriocaulon cinereum ''Eriocaulon'' is a genus of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical ...

'' – WA, NT, Qld, Australia * '' Eriocaulon clarksonii'' – Qld, Australia * '' Eriocaulon compressum'' * '' Eriocaulon concretum'' – WA, NT, Qld, Australia * '' Eriocaulon conicum'' * '' Eriocaulon cookei'' * '' Eriocaulon cuspidatum'' * '' Eriocaulon dalzellii'' * '' Eriocaulon decangulare'' * ''

Eriocaulon decemflorum ''Eriocaulon'' is a genus of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical ...

'' * '' Eriocaulon depressum'' – NT, Qld, Australia * '' Eriocaulon dictyophyllum'' * ''

Eriocaulon dregei ''Eriocaulon'' is a genus of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical ...

'' * ''

Eriocaulon duthiei ''Eriocaulon'' is a genus of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical ...

'' * ''

Eriocaulon echinulatum ''Eriocaulon'' is a genus of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical ...

'' * '' Eriocaulon elenorae'' * '' Eriocaulon ermeiense'' * ''

Eriocaulon eurypeplon ''Eriocaulon'' is a genus of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical ...

'' * ''

Eriocaulon exsertum ''Eriocaulon'' is a genus of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical ...

'' * '' Eriocaulon faberi'' * '' Eriocaulon fistulosum'' – WA, NT, Qld, Australia * '' Eriocaulon fluviatile'' * '' Eriocaulon fysonii'' * ''

Eriocaulon giganticum ''Eriocaulon'' is a genus of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical ...

'' – Qld, Australia * '' Eriocaulon glabripetalum'' * '' Eriocaulon gregatum'' * '' Eriocaulon henryanum'' * ''

Eriocaulon heterolepis ''Eriocaulon'' is a genus of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical ...

'' * '' Eriocaulon hookerianum'' * '' Eriocaulon hydrophilum'' * '' Eriocaulon inapertum'' – WA, NT, Australia * '' Eriocaulon inyangense'' * '' Eriocaulon kanarense'' * '' Eriocaulon karaavalense'' * '' Eriocaulon karnatakense'' * '' Eriocaulon kathmanduense'' * '' Eriocaulon koernickianum'' * '' Eriocaulon kolhapurense'' * ''

Eriocaulon konkanense ''Eriocaulon'' is a genus of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical ...

'' * '' Eriocaulon koynense'' * ''

Eriocaulon kunmingense ''Eriocaulon'' is a genus of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical ...

'' * '' Eriocaulon lanceolatum'' * ''

Eriocaulon leianthum ''Eriocaulon'' is a genus of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical ...

'' * '' Eriocaulon leptophyllum'' * '' Eriocaulon leucomelas'' * ''

Eriocaulon lineare ''Eriocaulon'' is a genus of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical ...

'' * '' Eriocaulon lividum'' – Australia * '' Eriocaulon longicuspe'' * '' Eriocaulon longifolium'' * '' Eriocaulon longipetalum'' * '' Eriocaulon luzulifolium'' * '' Eriocaulon madayiparense''''Eriocaulon madayiparense
''.">Eriocaulon madayiparense">''Eriocaulon madayiparense
''./ref> * ''Eriocaulon maharashtrense'' * ''Eriocaulon mangshanense'' * ''Eriocaulon margaretae'' * ''Eriocaulon mbalensis'' * ''Eriocaulon meiklei'' * ''Eriocaulon microcephalum'' * ''Eriocaulon minimum'' * ''[ riocaulon minusculum'' * '' Eriocaulon minutum'' * '' Eriocaulon miquelianum'' * '' Eriocaulon monoscapum'' – NT, Australia * '' Eriocaulon nantoense'' * ''

Eriocaulon nanum ''Eriocaulon'' is a genus of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical ...

'' – Qld, Australia * '' Eriocaulon nematophyllum'' – NT, Qld, Australia * '' Eriocaulon nepalense'' * '' Eriocaulon nigrobracteatum'' * ''

Eriocaulon obclavatum ''Eriocaulon'' is a genus of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical ...

'' * ''

Eriocaulon odontospermum ''Eriocaulon'' is a genus of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical ...

'' – WA, NT, Qld, Australia * ''

Eriocaulon odoratum ''Eriocaulon'' is a genus of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical ...

'' * '' Eriocaulon oryzetorum'' * '' Eriocaulon pallidum'' – Qld, Australia * '' Eriocaulon parkeri'' * ''

Eriocaulon parviflorum ''Eriocaulon'' is a genus of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical regio ...

'' * '' Eriocaulon parvulum'' * '' Eriocaulon parvum'' * '' Eriocaulon patericola'' – WA, NT, Australia * ''

Eriocaulon pectinatum ''Eriocaulon'' is a genus of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical ...

'' * '' Eriocaulon peninsulare'' * ''

Eriocaulon pusillum ''Eriocaulon'' is a genus of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical ...

'' – WA, NT, Qld, Australia * '' Eriocaulon pygmaeum'' – WA, NT, Qld, Australia * ''

Eriocaulon quinquangulare ''Eriocaulon'' is a genus of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical ...

'' * '' Eriocaulon ratnagiricum'' * '' Eriocaulon ravenelii'' * ''

Eriocaulon richardianum ''Eriocaulon'' is a genus of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical ...

'' * ''

Eriocaulon ritchieanum ''Eriocaulon'' is a genus of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical ...

'' * '' Eriocaulon robustius'' * '' Eriocaulon robustobrownianum'' * '' Eriocaulon robustum'' * '' Eriocaulon rockianum'' * '' Eriocaulon rouxianum'' * '' Eriocaulon sahyadricum'' * '' Eriocaulon santapaui'' * '' Eriocaulon scariosum'' – Qld, NSW, ACT, Vic., Australia * '' Eriocaulon schimperi'' * ''

Eriocaulon schlechteri ''Eriocaulon'' is a genus of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical ...

'' * '' Eriocaulon schochianum'' * '' Eriocaulon schultzii'' – NT, Australia * '' Eriocaulon sclerophyllum'' * ''

Eriocaulon scullionii ''Eriocaulon'' is a genus of about 400 species commonly known as pipeworts, of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical ...

'' – WA, NT, Australia * '' Eriocaulon sedgwickii'' * '' Eriocaulon selousii'' * '' Eriocaulon setaceum'' – Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, WA, NT, Qld, Australia * '' Eriocaulon sexangulare'' * '' Eriocaulon sharmae'' * '' Eriocaulon sivarajanii'' * '' Eriocaulon sollyanum'' * '' Eriocaulon spectabile'' – WA, NT, Qld, Australia * '' Eriocaulon staintonii'' * '' Eriocaulon stellulatum'' * '' Eriocaulon stipantepalum'' * '' Eriocaulon taishanense'' * '' Eriocaulon talbotii'' * '' Eriocaulon texense'' * '' Eriocaulon thwaitesii'' * '' Eriocaulon tonkinense'' * '' Eriocaulon tortuosum'' – WA, NT, Qld, Australia * '' Eriocaulon tricornum'' – NT, Australia * '' Eriocaulon trisectoides'' * '' Eriocaulon truncatum'' – Qld, Australia, Asia * '' Eriocaulon tuberiferum'' * '' Eriocaulon vandaanamensis'' * '' Eriocaulon viride'' * '' Eriocaulon wightianum'' * '' Eriocaulon willdenovianum'' – NT, Qld, Australia * '' Eriocaulon xeranthemum'' * '' Eriocaulon zollingerianum'' – China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, New Guinea, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, NT, Qld, Australia ;Species accepted by the authoritative ''

Australian Plant Census The Australian Plant Census (APC) provides an online interface to currently accepted, published, scientific names of the vascular flora of Australia, as one of the output interfaces of the national government Integrated Biodiversity Information Syst ...

'', informally named, described and published awaiting formal publication * ''Eriocaulon'' sp. C Kimberley Flora (G.J.Keighery 4610) WA Herbarium – WA, Australia * ''Eriocaulon'' sp. E Kimberley Flora (A.S.George 12635) WA Herbarium – WA, Australia * ''Eriocaulon'' sp. G Kimberley Flora (K.F.Kenneally 11374E) WA Herbarium – WA, Australia * ''Eriocaulon'' sp. Harding Range (M.D.Barrett & R.L.Barrett MDB 1826) WA Herbarium – WA, Australia * ''Eriocaulon'' sp. Theda (M.D.Barrett MDB 2063) WA Herbarium – WA, Australia

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3267004 Poales genera