Eriocaulon is a genus of nearly 500 species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Eriocaulaceae, commonly known as pipeworts. Species of Eriocaulon have a wide distribution in the Americas, the British Isles, sub-Saharan Africa, central, east, south, and southeast Asia, Papuasia, Australia, and the Pacific.

Etymology The scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek ἔριον, , meaning 'wool', and καυλός, , meaning 'stalk'.

Description The species are mostly herbaceous perennial plants, though some are annual plants; they resemble plants in the related families Cyperaceae (sedges) and Juncaceae (rushes), and like them, have rather small, wind-pollinated flowers.

Distribution and habitat The genus is widely distributed, with the centers of diversity for the group occurring in tropical regions, particularly southern Asia and the Americas. A few species extend to temperate regions, with approximately 10 species in the United States, mostly in the southern states from California to Florida, and only two species in Canada; China has 35 species, also mostly southern. Only one species (E. aquaticum) occurs in Europe, where it is confined to the Atlantic Ocean coasts of Scotland and Ireland;Sculthorpe, C. D. The Biology of Aquatic Vascular Plants. Edward Arnold. London. 1967. Reprinted 1985. Figure 11.6. this species also occurs in eastern North America and is thought to be a relatively recent natural colonist in Europe. In the Americas, Eriocaulon is the only genus in its family that occurs north of Florida.

They tend to be associated with wet soils, many growing in shallow water, in wetlands, or in wet savannas like flatwoods. In wet soils, their abundance appears to be related to water levels, fire frequency, and competition from other plants such as grasses. Experiments have shown that they are weak competitors compared to many other wetland plant species.Wilson, S. D. and P. A. Keddy. 1986. Species competitive ability and position along a natural stress/disturbance gradient. Ecology 67:1236-1242. Some species can persist as buried seeds during unfavorable conditions.Keddy, P. A. and A. A. Reznicek. 1982. The role of seed banks in the persistence of Ontario's coastal plain flora. American Journal of Botany 69:13-22.

Selected species

As of May 2026, 496 species are accepted. The names below were sourced from official sources including: the Flora of North America, the Flora of China, currently accepted Australian taxa from the Australian Plant Name Index, etc..

Eriocaulon achiton Eriocaulon acutibracteatum Eriocaulon aethiopicum Eriocaulon albocapitatum Eriocaulon aloefolium – Qld, Australia Eriocaulon alpestre Eriocaulon angustulum Eriocaulon anshiense Eriocaulon apetalum Eriocaulon aquaticum – n. Europe & e. North America Eriocaulon asteroides Eriocaulon athertonense – Qld, Australia Eriocaulon atrum Eriocaulon australasicum – SA, NSW, Vic, Australia Eriocaulon australe – Cambodia, China, W Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, NT, Qld, NSW, Australia, Pacific Islands Eriocaulon balakrishnanii Eriocaulon bamendae Eriocaulon baramaticum Eriocaulon barbeyanum Eriocaulon benthamii Eriocaulon bifistulosum – Qld, Australia Eriocaulon bolei Eriocaulon brevipedunculatum Eriocaulon breviscapum Eriocaulon brownianum Eriocaulon buergerianum Eriocaulon carpentariae – NT, Qld, Australia Eriocaulon carsonii – SA, Qld, NSW, Australia subsp. carsonii – SA, Qld, NSW, Australia subsp. euloense – Qld, Australia subsp. orientale – Qld, Australia Eriocaulon cauliferum Makino(1910) - Japan Eriocaulon chinorossicum Eriocaulon cinereum – WA, NT, Qld, Australia Eriocaulon clarksonii – Qld, Australia Eriocaulon compressum Eriocaulon concretum – WA, NT, Qld, Australia Eriocaulon conicum Eriocaulon cookei Eriocaulon cuspidatum Eriocaulon dalzellii

Eriocaulon decangulare Eriocaulon decemflorum Eriocaulon depressum – NT, Qld, Australia Eriocaulon dictyophyllum Eriocaulon dregei Eriocaulon duthiei Eriocaulon echinulatum Eriocaulon elenorae Eriocaulon ermeiense Eriocaulon eurypeplon Eriocaulon exsertum Eriocaulon faberi Eriocaulon fistulosum – WA, NT, Qld, Australia Eriocaulon fluviatile Eriocaulon fysonii Eriocaulon giganticum – Qld, Australia Eriocaulon glabripetalum Eriocaulon gregatum Eriocaulon henryanum

Eriocaulon heterolepis Eriocaulon hookerianum Eriocaulon hydrophilum Eriocaulon inapertum – WA, NT, Australia Eriocaulon inyangense Eriocaulon kanarense Eriocaulon karaavalense Eriocaulon karnatakense Eriocaulon kathmanduense Eriocaulon koernickianum Eriocaulon kolhapurense Eriocaulon konkanense Eriocaulon koynense Eriocaulon kunmingense Eriocaulon lanceolatum Eriocaulon leianthum Eriocaulon leptophyllum Eriocaulon leucomelas Eriocaulon lineare Eriocaulon lividum – Australia Eriocaulon longicuspe Eriocaulon longifolium Eriocaulon longipetalum Eriocaulon luzulifolium Eriocaulon madayiparenseEriocaulon madayiparense. Eriocaulon maharashtrense Eriocaulon mangshanense Eriocaulon margaretae Eriocaulon mbalensis Eriocaulon meiklei Eriocaulon meenachilense Anoop & Robi Eriocaulon microcephalum Eriocaulon minimum Eriocaulon minusculum Eriocaulon minutum Eriocaulon miquelianum Eriocaulon monoscapum – NT, Australia Eriocaulon nantoense Eriocaulon nanum – Qld, Australia Eriocaulon nematophyllum – NT, Qld, Australia Eriocaulon nepalense Eriocaulon nigrobracteatum Eriocaulon obclavatum Eriocaulon odontospermum – WA, NT, Qld, Australia Eriocaulon odoratum Eriocaulon oryzetorum Eriocaulon pallidum – Qld, Australia Eriocaulon parkeri Eriocaulon parviflorum Eriocaulon parvulum Eriocaulon parvum Eriocaulon patericola – WA, NT, Australia Eriocaulon pectinatum Eriocaulon peninsulare Eriocaulon pusillum – WA, NT, Qld, Australia Eriocaulon pygmaeum – WA, NT, Qld, Australia Eriocaulon quinquangulare Eriocaulon ratnagiricum Eriocaulon ravenelii Eriocaulon richardianum Eriocaulon ritchieanum Eriocaulon robustius Eriocaulon robustobrownianum Eriocaulon robustum Eriocaulon rockianum Eriocaulon rouxianum Eriocaulon sahyadricum Eriocaulon santapaui

Eriocaulon scariosum – Qld, NSW, ACT, Vic., Australia Eriocaulon schimperi Eriocaulon schlechteri Eriocaulon schochianum Eriocaulon schultzii – NT, Australia Eriocaulon sclerophyllum Eriocaulon scullionii – WA, NT, Australia Eriocaulon sedgwickii Eriocaulon selousii Eriocaulon setaceum – Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, WA, NT, Qld, Australia Eriocaulon sexangulare Eriocaulon sharmae Eriocaulon sivarajanii Eriocaulon sollyanum Eriocaulon spectabile – WA, NT, Qld, Australia Eriocaulon staintonii Eriocaulon stellulatum Eriocaulon stipantepalum Eriocaulon taishanense Eriocaulon talbotii Eriocaulon texense Eriocaulon thwaitesii Eriocaulon tonkinense Eriocaulon tortuosum – WA, NT, Qld, Australia Eriocaulon tricornum – NT, Australia Eriocaulon trisectoides Eriocaulon truncatum – Qld, Australia, Asia Eriocaulon tuberiferum Eriocaulon vandaanamensis Eriocaulon viride Eriocaulon wightianum Eriocaulon willdenovianum – NT, Qld, Australia Eriocaulon xeranthemum Eriocaulon zollingerianum – China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, New Guinea, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, NT, Qld, Australia

Species accepted by the authoritative Australian Plant Census, informally named, described and published awaiting formal publication Eriocaulon sp. C Kimberley Flora (G.J.Keighery 4610) WA Herbarium – WA, Australia Eriocaulon sp. E Kimberley Flora (A.S.George 12635) WA Herbarium – WA, Australia Eriocaulon sp. G Kimberley Flora (K.F.Kenneally 11374E) WA Herbarium – WA, Australia Eriocaulon sp. Harding Range (M.D.Barrett & R.L.Barrett MDB 1826) WA Herbarium – WA, Australia Eriocaulon sp. Theda (M.D.Barrett MDB 2063) WA Herbarium – WA, Australia

References