Eriocaulon compressum
Eriocaulon decangulare
flattened pipewort
ten-angle pipewort
linear-attenuate, 5–30 cm, apex subulate.
linear or linear-attenuate, abruptly, then gradually, narrowing, 10–40(–50) cm, apex acute or obtuse.
scape sheaths mostly longer than principal leaves, loose;
scapes linear, 1–3 mm wide, multiribbed (ribs lacunar);
heads chalk white except for dark gray or near black exserted tips of receptacular bracts, anthers, hemispheric to subglobose, 10–20 mm wide, soft, much flattened when pressed;
receptacle pilose;
involucral bracts frequently squarrose, later obscured by mature bracteoles and flowers, gray, broadly ovate to oblong or elliptic, 2–3 mm, margins entire, apex rounded or obtuse, glabrous;
inner bracts, receptacular bracteoles dark gray, spatulate-linear to oblong, 2–3 mm, margins entire, apex acute with white, club-shaped hairs.
scape sheaths shorter than principal leaves;
scapes linear, distally 1–2(–3) mm wide, multiribbed;
heads dull white, hemispheric to nearly globose, 7–15 mm wide, hard, very slightly flattened when pressed;
receptacle copiously hairy;
involucral bracts reflexed, obscured by reflexed proximal bracteoles and flowers, straw-colored, narrowly ovate to lanceolate, 2–4 mm, margins erose to entire, apex acute, glabrous or apex with white, club-shaped hairs;
inner bracts and receptacular bracteoles pale, linear to oblong or lanceolate, 3–4 mm, margins entire, sometimes becoming erose, apex narrowly acuminate, glabrous or apex with white, club-shaped hairs.
sepals 2, pale or with dark apex, linear or linear-spatulate, 2–4 mm, apex acute to blunt with mealy white, club-shaped hairs;
androphore broadly club-shaped;
petals 2, pale, oblong, conspicuously unequal, larger lobe apically fringed with pale, club-shaped hairs, smaller lobe glabrous or with a few hairs at apex;
stamens 3–4(–6);
anthers black.
sepals 2, yellow-white, linear, curved, 3 mm, distal surface abaxially, adaxially with white, club-shaped hairs;
androphore club-shaped;
petals 2, yellow-white, translucent, triangular to linear, nearly equal, with small tuft of white, club-shaped hairs abaxially at apex;
stamens 4;
anthers black.
sepals 2, dark at apex, oblong-spatulate, 2.5–3 mm, abaxially with mealy white, club-shaped hairs, adaxially with translucent hairs;
petals 2, pale, oblong-spatulate, apex acute, abaxially with mealy white, club-shaped hairs, adaxially with translucent hairs;
pistil 2-carpellate.
sepals 2, yellow-white, linear, 2–3 mm, apex acute, abaxially with white, club-shaped hairs at apex;
petals 2, pale, spatulate or narrowly elliptic, 1–2 mm, abaxially with translucent hairs proximally, white, club-shaped hairs distally, or adaxially glabrescent;
pistil 2-carpellate.
dark lustrous brown, broadly ovoid to near round but asymmetric, 0.5 mm, mostly minutely spiny-papillate.
pale brown, ellipsoid, 0.75–1 mm, very finely cancellate or sometimes with cancellae concealed by rows of delicate nearly appressed hairs.
Eriocaulon compressum
Eriocaulon decangulare
Eriocaulon compressum is polymorphic in habit. Male flowers vary considerably in length and degree of connation, and female flowers are often sterile. Of the southeastern coastal plain species this and the similar, but proportionately smaller, E. lineare, are the most aquatic, the former most common around clay-based ponds, the latter around karst ponds. Unlike the more northern E. aquaticum, these two species seldom frequent the shallows of flowing streams.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
A possible variety, Eriocaulon decangulare var. latifolium Chapman ex Moldenke [in N. L. Britton et al., N. Amer. Fl. 19(1): 21. 1937], has yet to be thoroughly investigated. This plant typically is in the taller range and has thicker stems and scapes than in the type; it has very stiff blunt leaves to 50 cm × 13–20 mm with thicker scapes, heads 13–20 mm wide, and floral parts in the high range for the species. It occurs in wetter situations than usual for the species, and (fide R. R. Haynes, pers. comm.) flowers later. This morphology occurs in northwestern Florida and southern Alabama within boggy edges of cypress-titi-Nyssa on permanently wet substrates.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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