Eriocaulon decangulare
Eriocaulon microcephalum
ten-angle pipewort
smallhead pipewort
linear or linear-attenuate, abruptly, then gradually, narrowing, 10–40(–50) cm, apex acute or obtuse.
narrowly triangular-acuminate, 1.5–3 cm, apex narrow, blunt, calloused.
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.
scape sheaths mostly shorter than longer leaves, dilated apically;
scapes linear, 1 mm wide, distally 4–5-ribbed;
mature heads pale, hemispheric to globose, 3–4 mm wide, soft;
receptacle glabrous or sparsely pilose;
involucral bracts erect or ascending, nearly covering head, yellow-white or yellow-brown, broadly obovate to suborbiculate, grading narrower inward, 2 mm, margins entire, erose with age, apex rounded, surfaces glabrous;
receptacular bracteoles dark brown, narrowly obovate, 2 mm, margins entire, erose with age, apex obtuse, margins and abaxial surface with scattered, stubby, white, multicellular hairs.
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 3, gray, cuneate-spatulate, 2 mm;
apex shallowly 3-cleft, surfaces distally hairy, ciliolate, hairs white, stubby;
androphore cylindric;
petals 3, minute, unequal, white-ciliate;
stamens 6;
anthers nearly black.
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.
sepals 3, gray, translucent, curved, keeled, 2 mm, apex rounded, apiculate, ciliate, hairy with white, blunt hairs;
petals 3, yellow-white, oblong or narrowly spatulate, flat, 2 mm, apex rounded, blade adaxially pilose with translucent hairs, apically ciliate with white hairs;
pistil 3-carpellate.
pale brown, ellipsoid, 0.75–1 mm, very finely cancellate or sometimes with cancellae concealed by rows of delicate nearly appressed hairs.
rich red-brown, ovoid or ellipsoid, 0.6–0.8 mm, faintly reticulate with horizontally aligned rectangular alveolae.
Eriocaulon decangulare
Eriocaulon microcephalum
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.)
Eriocaulon microcephalum is known in the flora only from one locality, Kern County, California; this was a collection by L. J. Xantus de Vesey in 1857–58 from "vicinity of Fort Tijon." It has not been found since. The specimen differs, however, in no way from those I have seen throughout the range, and in light of the number of Mexican western cordilleran plant species that have been continuously discovered in California, it seems best to include the species here.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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