The Eriocaulaceae are a

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

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. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s 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 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 the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

. Very 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 only 16 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 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, mostly in the southern states from

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

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, and to ...

, 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 tot ...

, and only one species (''Eriocaulon aquaticum'') 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 Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. They tend to be associated with wet soils, many growing in shallow water. This is also reported from the southern part of India and the regions of Western Ghats hot spots. 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 of t ...

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 plant An annual plant is a plant that completes its life cycle, from germination to the production of seeds, within one growing season, and then dies. The length of growing seasons and period in which they take place vary according to geographical ...

s; 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'' w ...

(sedges) and Juncaceae (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 mechani ...

s grouped together in

capitulum capitulum (plural capitula) may refer to: *the Latin word for chapter ** an index or list of chapters at the head of a gospel manuscript ** a short reading in the Liturgy of the Hours *** derived from which, it is the Latin for the assembly known ...

-like

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

s. ;Genera *''

Actinocephalus ''Actinocephalus'' is a genus of plants in the Eriocaulaceae, first described in 2004. The entire genus is endemic to Brazil. It was formerly regarded as part of the related genus ''Paepalanthus ''Paepalanthus'' is a genus of plants in the fam ...

'' *''

Comanthera ''Comanthera'' is a genus of plants in the Eriocaulaceae. It is native to tropical South America. The name was first published in 1937 with one species ''(C. linderi,'' now called ''C. kegeliana).'' More recent authors Parra, L.R., Giulietti, A. ...

'' *'' Eriocaulon'' - pipewort *''

Lachnocaulon ''Lachnocaulon'' (bogbutton) is a genus of plants in the Eriocaulaceae. It contains 7 known species, native to Cuba and to the southeastern United States (from Texas to Virginia).Govaerts, R. (2004). World Checklist of Monocotyledons Database in ...

'' - bogbutton *'' Leiothrix'' *''

Mesanthemum ''Mesanthemum'' is a genus of plants in the Eriocaulaceae, first described in 1856. It is native to tropical Africa and Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, ...

'' *''

Paepalanthus ''Paepalanthus'' is a genus of plants in the family Eriocaulaceae. It has about 300-400 species, native mostly to tropical Africa and Latin America, with a few species in Japan and Madagascar.Trovó, M. & Takeo Sano, P. (2010). Taxonomic survey o ...

'' *''

Rondonanthus ''Rondonanthus'' is a genus of plants in the Eriocaulaceae. It endemic to northern South America.Govaerts, R. (2004). World Checklist of Monocotyledons Database in ACCESS: 1-54382. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. #'' Ron ...

'' *''

Syngonanthus ''Syngonanthus'' is a genus of plant in family Eriocaulaceae. It is native to tropical Africa and to Latin America (from Mexico and Cuba south to Argentina).Huft, M. J. 1994. 261. Eriocaulaceae. 6: 178–184. In G. Davidse, M. Sousa Sánchez & A. ...

'' *'' Tonina''

References

External links

Eriocaulaceae
i
L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants.
Image:Eriocaulon decangulare.jpg, ''Eriocaulon decangulare'' flowerhead {{Taxonbar, from=Q131321 Poales families

See also

References

External links