''Paepalanthus bromelioides'' is a species in the

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 ...

family

Eriocaulaceae The Eriocaulaceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants 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 ce ...

. This family is placed in the

Poales The Poales are a large order of flowering plants in the monocotyledons, and includes families of plants such as the grasses, bromeliads, and sedges. Sixteen plant families are currently recognized by botanists to be part of Poales. Descriptio ...

, close to the Bromeliaceae, whose

morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines * Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts * Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies ...

this genus shares. ''Paepalanthus bromelioides'' is native to

Cerrado The ''Cerrado'' (, ) is a vast ecoregion of tropical savanna in eastern Brazil, particularly in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Minas Gerais, and the Federal District. The core areas of the Cerrado biome are the ...

, the area in which the carnivorous bromeliad ''

Brocchinia reducta ''Brocchinia reducta'' is one of a few carnivorous plant, carnivorous Bromeliaceae, bromeliads. It is native to southern Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, and Guyana, and is found in nutrient-poor soil. ''B. reducta'' adapts to different environments ...

'' is also found. There is some speculation that the occasional insects trapped in the urn of this plant are evidence of its being a carnivorous plant or protocarnivorous, possible deriving nutrients from termite mounds that termites frequently make in the plants' roots.

References

Eriocaulaceae Carnivorous plants {{Poales-stub