1166

 Eriocaulon cinereum R.Br.

Synonyms	:	Eriocaulon amboense Schinz
Family	:	ERIOCAULACEAE
Local name	:	English- Ashy pipewort
Flowering and fruiting period	:	August-November
Distribution	:	Paleotropics
Distribution in kerala	:	Kasaragode, Idukki, Pathanamthitta, Malappuram, Palakkad
Habitat	:	Marshy areas
Uses	:	Not Known
Key Botanical Characters: Herbs, rootstock absent. Leaves prostrate, to 5 x 0.2 cm, acicular; sheath 2 cm, limb ovate. Heads hemispherical, 4 mm across, black; involucral bracts 1.5 x 0.7 mm, oblong-obovate; floral bracts 2 x 0.2 mm, linear-elliptic, black; male flowers - sepals connate, spathe 3-lobed, black; petals 3, glandular; anthers 6; female flowers - sepals 1 or 2, free, hairy, black; petals absent; ovary stalked; seeds 0.3 x 0.2 mm, ovoid-ellipsoid.