ABSTRACT
About 400 species worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions; one species in temperate eastern U.S.A. and western Europe. Identification of most Eriocaulon species is not easy due to the very small size of the flowers, which nevertheless exhibit a wide range of important differences. The patterning of the seed coat is of great importance in Eriocaulon, both for identification and for establishing relationships. Unlike the normal situation in Eriocaulon, where the mature seed is readily expelled from the capitulum by the dehiscence of the capsule, in E. The longitudinally elongated cells are extremely unusual in Eriocaulon. The number of ribs in the scape of Eriocaulon species often varies within narrow limits and is not in itself a character of specific significance.
