Eriocaulon
Encyclopedia
Eriocaulon is a genus
of about 400 species of monocotyledon
ous flowering plant
s in the family Eriocaulaceae
. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical regions, particularly southern Asia
and the Americas
. A few species extend to temperate
regions, with e.g. 10 species in the United States
, mostly in the southern states from California
to Florida
, and only two species in Canada
; China
has 35 species, also mostly southern. Only one species (E. aquaticum) occurs in Europe
, where it is confined to the Atlantic Ocean
coasts of Scotland
and Ireland
; 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. The scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek
εριον, erion, meaning 'wool', and καυλός, caulos, meaning 'stalk'.
The species are mostly herbaceous
perennial plant
s, though some are annual plant
s; they resemble plants in the related families Cyperaceae
(sedges) and Juncaceae
(rushes), and like them, have rather small, wind-pollinated flower
s.
Selected species
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of about 400 species of monocotyledon
Monocotyledon
Monocotyledons, also known as monocots, are one of two major groups of flowering plants that are traditionally recognized, the other being dicotyledons, or dicots. Monocot seedlings typically have one cotyledon , in contrast to the two cotyledons typical of dicots...
ous flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s in the family Eriocaulaceae
Eriocaulaceae
The Eriocaulaceae or pipewort family is a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the order Poales. The family is large, with about 1,150-1,200 species described in ten genera. The family is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical regions,...
. The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical regions, particularly southern Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. A few species extend to temperate
Temperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
regions, with e.g. 10 species in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, mostly in the southern states from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, and only two species in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
; China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
has 35 species, also mostly southern. Only one species (E. aquaticum) occurs in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, where it is confined to the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
coasts of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
; 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. The scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
εριον, erion, meaning 'wool', and καυλός, caulos, meaning 'stalk'.
The species are mostly herbaceous
Herbaceous
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
perennial plant
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
s, though some are annual plant
Annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
s; they resemble plants in the related families Cyperaceae
Cyperaceae
Cyperaceae are a family of monocotyledonous graminoid flowering plants known as sedges, which superficially resemble grasses or rushes. The family is large, with some 5,500 species described in about 109 genera. These species are widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group...
(sedges) and Juncaceae
Juncaceae
Juncaceae, the rush family, are a monocotyledonous family of flowering plants. There are eight genera and about 400 species. Members of the Juncaceae are slow-growing, rhizomatous, herbaceous plants, and they may superficially resemble grasses. They often grow on infertile soils in a wide range...
(rushes), and like them, have rather small, wind-pollinated flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s.
Selected species
- Eriocaulon acutibracteatum
- Eriocaulon alpestre
- Eriocaulon angustulum
- Eriocaulon aquaticum
- Eriocaulon atrum
- Eriocaulon australe
- Eriocaulon benthamii
- Eriocaulon brownianum
- Eriocaulon buergerianum
- Eriocaulon chinorossicum
- Eriocaulon cinereum
- Eriocaulon compressum
- Eriocaulon decangulareEriocaulon decangulareEriocaulon decangulare, commonly known as ten-angled pipewort, hat pin and bog button, is a monocotyledonous plant native to the eastern United States, Mexico and Nicaragua. The plant's distribution is quite irregular, with several disjunct populations and a discontinuous primary range...
- Eriocaulon decemflorum
- Eriocaulon echinulatum
- Eriocaulon ermeiense
- Eriocaulon exsertum
- Eriocaulon faberi
- Eriocaulon glabripetalum
- Eriocaulon henryanum
- Eriocaulon kathmanduense
- Eriocaulon koernickianum
- Eriocaulon kunmingense
- Eriocaulon leianthum
- Eriocaulon lineare
- Eriocaulon longifolium
- Eriocaulon luzulifolium
- Eriocaulon mangshanense
- Eriocaulon microcephalum
- Eriocaulon minusculum
- Eriocaulon miquelianum
- Eriocaulon nantoense
- Eriocaulon nepalense
- Eriocaulon nigrobracteatum
- Eriocaulon obclavatum
- Eriocaulon oryzetorum
- Eriocaulon parkeri
- Eriocaulon parvum
- Eriocaulon quinquangulare
- Eriocaulon ravenelii
- Eriocaulon robustius
- Eriocaulon rockianum
- Eriocaulon schochianum
- Eriocaulon sclerophyllum
- Eriocaulon setaceum
- Eriocaulon sexangulare
- Eriocaulon sollyanum
- Eriocaulon staintonii
- Eriocaulon taishanense
- Eriocaulon texense
- Eriocaulon tonkinense
- Eriocaulon trisectoides
- Eriocaulon truncatum
- Eriocaulon viride
- Eriocaulon xeranthemum
- Eriocaulon zollingerianum