Lachnocaulon
Enum. Pl. 3: 497. 1841.
| Taxon | Illustrator ⠉ | |
|---|---|---|
 | Lachnocaulon engleri Lachnocaulon anceps Syngonanthus flavidulus Eriocaulon nigrobracteatum | Yevonn Wilson-Ramsey Yevonn Wilson-Ramsey Yevonn Wilson-Ramsey Yevonn Wilson-Ramsey |
Herbs, perennial, cespitose, rosulate. Roots branched, dark, not septate, slender, fibrous. Stems sparingly branched, short or elongate. Leaves crowded, in spirals; blade mostly linear, lacunar tissue not evident, base pale, dilated. Inflorescences: scape sheaths tubular, orifice oblique, acute, or 2-cleft; scapes usually several per stem, filiform, glabrous or hairy, hairs neither swollen nor glandular apically; heads white, gray, gray-brown, or brown, ovoid to globose or short-cylindric; receptacle densely pale-pilose; involucral-bracts pale to dark, gradate, broad, chaffy, basal ones often reflexed, obscured by inflorescence; receptacular-bracts as long as involucral-bracts. Flowers: staminate and pistillate on same plants, 3-merous (2-merous in Lachnocaulon digynum); sepals 3, connivent forming club-shaped flower, nearly distinct, spatulate, scarious, apex with club-shaped hairs, surface glabrous or sparsely hairy; petals absent or reduced to small scales or hairs. Staminate flowers: androphore cylindric; stamens (2–) 3; apex of staminal column with 2–3 lanceovoid or peglike, often appendaged glands; filaments adnate to rim of androphore, alternating with glands; anthers 1-locular, 2-sporangiate, dorsifixed, versatile, exserted at anthesis, yellowish or pale. Pistillate flowers: gynophore short; pistil 3-carpellate (2-carpellate in L. digynum); style 1, appendaged at apex, style-branches 2–3, 2-cleft, alternating with appendages similar to those of staminate flower.
Distribution
se United States and Cuba
Discussion
Species ca. 10 (5 in the flora).
Selected References
None.
Lower Taxa
Key
| 1 | Apical hairs of receptacular bracts and perianth white, mealy, opaque; heads pale gray to white; scapes hairy (except for glabrous-scaped, s Florida extreme of Lachnocaulon anceps). | > 2 |
| 1 | Apical hairs of bracts and perianth translucent, not white, the brown color of bract and perianth showing through; heads brown or gray-brown; scapes glabrous or with ascending hairs. | > 3 |
| 2 | Leaves narrowly linear, abruptly attenuate; mature heads seldom wider than 4 mm, dull gray-brown or pale gray; scapes glabrous or nearly so distally; seeds dark red-brown, very lustrous, longitudinal ribs faint, transverse ribs forming finely cross-striolate pattern | Lachnocaulon beyrichianum |
| 2 | Leaves linear, gradually attentuate; mature heads seldom as narrow as 4 mm, whitish to pale gray; scapes pilose from base to apex; seeds pale to dark brown, not lustrous, longitudinal ribs conspicuous, transverse ribs less conspicuous than longitudinal ribs, but coarser than in Lachnocaulon beyrichianum | Lachnocaulon anceps |
| 3 | Scapes with ascending hairs; heads dull gray-brown; hairs of receptacle copious, partly obscuring flowers (old heads may lose some hairs); gynoecium 3-carpellate | Lachnocaulon minus |
| 3 | Scapes glabrous; heads either chocolate brown or dull brown, if dull brown, with sepals of pistillate flowers yellow-white, hardly obscured by receptacular hairs; gynoecium 2–3-carpellate. | > 4 |
| 4 | Heads dark brown or reddish brown, usually short cylindric by seeding time; gynoecium 3-carpellate; leaves 2–4 cm; scape sheaths shorter than or as long as leaves | Lachnocaulon engleri |
| 4 | Heads gray or gray-brown, usually globose by seeding time; gynoecium 2-carpellate; leaves 0.5–2 cm, scape sheaths longer than or at least rising above leaves | Lachnocaulon digynum |