Eriocaulon compressum

Lamarck in J. Lamarck et al.

in J. Lamarck et al.,Encycl. 3: 276. 1789.

IllustratedEndemic
Basionym: Eriocaulon decangulare Walter 1788, Eriocaulon gnaphalodes Michaux sensu Poiret
Synonyms: Eriocaulon cephalotes Michaux Sphaerochloa compressa Palisot de Beauvois
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 22.

Herbs, perennial, 20–70 cm. Leaves linear-attenuate, 5–30 cm, apex subulate. Inflorescences: scape sheaths mostly longer than principal leaves, loose; scapes linear, 1–3 mm wide, multiribbed (ribs lacunar); heads chalk white except for dark gray or near black exserted tips of receptacular-bracts, anthers, hemispheric to subglobose, 10–20 mm wide, soft, much flattened when pressed; receptacle pilose; involucral-bracts frequently squarrose, later obscured by mature bracteoles and flowers, gray, broadly ovate to oblong or elliptic, 2–3 mm, margins entire, apex rounded or obtuse, glabrous; inner bracts, receptacular bracteoles dark gray, spatulate-linear to oblong, 2–3 mm, margins entire, apex acute with white, club-shaped hairs. Staminate flowers: sepals 2, pale or with dark apex, linear or linear-spatulate, 2–4 mm, apex acute to blunt with mealy white, club-shaped hairs; androphore broadly club-shaped; petals 2, pale, oblong, conspicuously unequal, larger lobe apically fringed with pale, club-shaped hairs, smaller lobe glabrous or with a few hairs at apex; stamens 3–4 (–6); anthers black. Pistillate flowers: sepals 2, dark at apex, oblong-spatulate, 2.5–3 mm, abaxially with mealy white, club-shaped hairs, adaxially with translucent hairs; petals 2, pale, oblong-spatulate, apex acute, abaxially with mealy white, club-shaped hairs, adaxially with translucent hairs; pistil 2-carpellate. Seeds dark lustrous brown, broadly ovoid to near round but asymmetric, 0.5 mm, mostly minutely spiny-papillate.


Phenology: Flowering late winter–spring.
Habitat: Sands and peats of shallow pineland ponds, savanna, seeps, ditches, or low flatwoods
Elevation: 0–300 m

Distribution

V22 265-distribution-map.jpg

Ala., Del., Fla., Ga., La., Md., Miss., N.J., N.C., S.C., Tex.

Discussion

Eriocaulon compressum is polymorphic in habit. Male flowers vary considerably in length and degree of connation, and female flowers are often sterile. Of the southeastern coastal plain species this and the similar, but proportionately smaller, E. lineare, are the most aquatic, the former most common around clay-based ponds, the latter around karst ponds. Unlike the more northern E. aquaticum, these two species seldom frequent the shallows of flowing streams.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"narrowing" is not a number."narrower" is not a number.

... more about "Eriocaulon compressum"
club--shaped +
longitudinal +
versatile +  and dorsifixed +
acute +  and blunt +
peglike +  and glandlike +
cleft +, fringed +  and bladelike +
Robert Kral +
Lamarck in J. Lamarck et al. +
branching +, monopodial +  and sympodial +
lacunate +
stipelike +
Eriocaulon decangulare +  and Eriocaulon gnaphalodes +
greener +  and pale +
lingulate;triangular-acuminate;linear-attenuate +
Ala. +, Del. +, Fla. +, Ga. +, La. +, Md. +, Miss. +, N.J. +, N.C. +, S.C. +  and Tex. +
0–300 m +
mealy-starchy +
epipetalous +
pistillate +  and staminate +
unappendaged +
pale +  and dark +
subapical +  and adaxial +
Sands and peats of shallow pineland ponds, savanna, seeps, ditches, or low flatwoods +
multicellular +
white +  and pale +
club--shaped +
hemispheric;globose or short-cylindric +
involucrate +  and simple +
axillary +  and terminal +
short-cylindric +  and buttonlike +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
septate +  and unbranched +
linear-attenuate +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br />) +
orthotropous +  and pendulous +
adaxial-apical +
separating +  and separated +
oblong-spatulate;oblong +
unequal +
Flowering late winter–spring. +
in J. Lamarck et al.,Encycl. +
thinner +  and narrower +
spongy-septate +
spongy +  and fibrous +
1;several +
1mm;3mm +
brown +  and dark +
spiny-papillate +
broadly ovoid +  and round +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (?) +
dark +, with dark apex +  and pale +
oblong-spatulate;linear-spatulate;linear +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (?) +
with a few hairs +  and glabrous +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
dilated +
3 +  and 4 +
unequal +
prostrate +  and repent +
elongate +
short-to-elongate +
unappendaged +
Eriocaulon cephalotes +  and Sphaerochloa compressa +
Eriocaulon compressum +
Eriocaulon +
species +
scapose +  and caulescent +
pubescent +  and glabrous +