Flora of North America species comparison

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Eriocaulon decangulare

Eriocaulon nigrobracteatum

ten-angle pipewort

blackbract pipewort
Habit Herbs, perennial, 30–110 cm. Herbs, perennial, 5–15(–19) cm.
Leaves

linear or linear-attenuate, abruptly, then gradually, narrowing, 10–40(–50) cm, apex acute or obtuse.

linear-attenuate, 0.5–1.5(–4) cm, apex subulate.
Inflorescences

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 longer than principal leaves;

scapes filiform, 0.3–0.4 mm, 4-ribbed;

mature heads blackish at level of involucre, white above it, hemispheric to globose, 3–4(–5) mm wide, soft;

receptacle glabrous;

involucral bracts spreading, not obscured by bracteoles and flowers, blackish, very lustrous, broadly ovate to orbiculate, 1–3 mm, margins entire to erose, apex broadly rounded, glabrous;

inner bracts, receptacular bracteoles blackish or with pale base, broadly to narrowly ovate, 2–3 mm, margins somewhat erose with age, apex rounded or apiculate, margins and abaxial surfaces with white, club-shaped hairs, apically ciliate.
Staminate flowers

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, gray-brown, broadly spatulate to oblong-obovate, curved, keeled, 1–1.2 mm, keel and margin with white, club-shaped hairs;

androphore club-shaped to campanulate, flaring;

petals 2, oblong-obovate, nearly equal, 1 mm, apex ciliate and abaxially with white, club-shaped hairs;

stamens 4;

anthers black.
Pistillate flowers

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 2, gray, oblong, curved, keeled, 1 mm, adaxial surfaces pilose, hairs translucent, sharp, apically with white, club-shaped hairs;

petals 2, pale, short-stipitate or nearly sessile, oblong, 1 mm (narrower and longer than those of E. koernickianum), apex obtuse, adaxial surface and margins with white, club-shaped hairs;

pistil 2-carpellate.
Seeds

pale brown, ellipsoid, 0.75–1 mm, very finely cancellate or sometimes with cancellae concealed by rows of delicate nearly appressed hairs.

brown, nearly round, 0.3 mm, obscurely reticulate, alveolae irregularly and horizontally rectangular.

Eriocaulon decangulare

Eriocaulon nigrobracteatum
Phenology Flowering late spring–summer. Flowering spring.
Habitat Moist to wet sands or peats of shores, pine savanna, ditches, edges of cypress domes or savanna Muck of deep sphagnous seep bogs in longleaf pinelands
Elevation 0–300 m (0–1000 ft) 0–100 m (0–300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; DC; DE; FL; GA; LA; MD; MS; NC; NJ; SC; TN; TX; VA; Mexico; Central America (Nicaragua)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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 nigrobracteatum is a very limited, local endemic whose relationships with E. aquaticum should be clarified.

Of conservation concern.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 22. FNA vol. 22.
Parent taxa Eriocaulaceae > Eriocaulon Eriocaulaceae > Eriocaulon
Sibling taxa
E. aquaticum, E. cinereum, E. compressum, E. koernickianum, E. lineare, E. microcephalum, E. nigrobracteatum, E. parkeri, E. ravenelii, E. texense
E. aquaticum, E. cinereum, E. compressum, E. decangulare, E. koernickianum, E. lineare, E. microcephalum, E. parkeri, E. ravenelii, E. texense
Synonyms E. serotinum, E. statices, Randalia decangularis, Symphachne xyrioides
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 87. (1753) Orzell & E. L. Bridges: Phytologia 74: 105, figs. 1–4. (1993)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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