Eriocaulaceae
Pipewort Family
The Eriocaulaceae family (Pipewort Family) is a botanical family placed in the order Poales. In the SASYA catalogue it spans 15 species. Its members are predominantly herbs. Several members are valued in traditional medicine. Familiar examples include Ashy Pipewort, Stalkless Pipewort and Buttonhead Pipewort.
Browse all 14 species ↓
Small tufted herbs of wet, marshy ground with narrow, grass-like basal leaves; tiny flowers pack into a compact, often silvery-white button-like head held well above the leaves on a thin wiry stalk.
The dense flower heads stay papery and long-lasting even when dried, and are harvested and traded ornamentally in parts of India as 'everlasting flowers'.
Which Eriocaulaceae species is this?
Answer what you can see and narrow it down to a single Eriocaulaceae species.
To check whether a plant belongs to Eriocaulaceae, compare the leaf arrangement, leaf type, flower symmetry, fruit type, and one distinctive marker together. A single feature can mislead; the family pattern is the combination.
Learn the full family-identification methodTypical leaf characters
Characters typical of the family — individual species can vary.
Typical flower & fruit
- Flower symmetryVariable
- InflorescenceHead
- FruitVariable
Typical of the family — flowering plants only; species can vary.
Notable members
Families that can look similar
Poaceae
Compare against Poaceae when the plant shares similar leaves, flowers, or fruit. Confirm by checking the full family pattern.
Compare PoaceaeCyperaceae
Compare against Cyperaceae when the plant shares similar leaves, flowers, or fruit. Confirm by checking the full family pattern.
Compare CyperaceaeBromeliaceae
Compare against Bromeliaceae when the plant shares similar leaves, flowers, or fruit. Confirm by checking the full family pattern.
Compare BromeliaceaeAmaryllidaceae
Compare against Amaryllidaceae when the plant shares similar leaves, flowers, or fruit. Confirm by checking the full family pattern.
Compare AmaryllidaceaeAll 14 species in ERIOCAULACEAE
- Ashy PipewortEriocaulon cinereum
- Stalkless PipewortEriocaulon epedunculatum
- Buttonhead PipewortEriocaulon heterolepis
- Fragrant PipewortEriocaulon odoratum
- Five-Angled PipewortEriocaulon quinquangulare
- Mysore PipewortEriocaulon robustobrownianum
- Spherical PipewortEriocaulon sedgwickii
- Amboli PipewortEriocaulon sharmae
- Dry-Flower PipewortEriocaulon xeranthemum
- Eriocaulon cuspidatum
- Eriocaulon eurypeplon
- Eriocaulon parviflorum
- Eriocaulon stellulatum
- Eriocaulon tuberiferum
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