Eriocaulales

Eriocaulales, the pipewort order of monocotyledonous flowering plants (i.e., those characterized by one seed leaf), consisting of one family, Eriocaulaceae, with 13 genera of small, tufted herbs with grasslike leaves that grow in aquatic and marshy habitats, mostly in tropical and subtropical regions, especially in South America. The plants are characterized by inconspicuous flowers that are borne in small but often showy clusters, resembling superficially those of a sunflower. The flowers are either male or...