Belize Savanna Factsheet C6 Eriocaulaceae

Belize Savanna Factsheet C6 

Eriocaulaceae 

Conservation of the Lowland Savanna Ecosystem: Belize 

www.eeo.ed.ac.uk/sea-belize 

The family Eriocaulaceae has four genera; 

Eriocaulon, Paepalanthus, Syngonanthus and 

Tonina that occur in the savannas of Belize. Of 

the 12 Eriocaulaceae species (left) recorded in 

the savannas of Belize half are endemic to 

Belize. 

The Eriocaulaceae is a diverse monocot family 

close to Xyridaceae (below) currently placed 

in the order Poales which also contains grasses 

(Poaceae) and sedges (Cyperaceae). The 

family Eriocaulaceae is found throughout the world in a 

range of habitats, however it is particularly diverse in 

neotropical savanna habitats; the centre of diversity for 

Eriocaulaceae are the Cerrado of Brazil and the savannas 

of northern South America. Six of the nine genera present in 

the Neotropics are endemic. 

Many of the Eriocaulaceae that are endemic to Belizean 

lowland savannas are known only from a few herbarium specimens. This may be 

because these plants are small (rarely up to 10 cm tall) and obscure (difficult to 

spot!), and because the plants are ephemeral; they only appear for a brief few 

months each year when conditions are right in the cool, wet months of winter. 

Eriocaulaceae are incredibly difficult to identify to genus or 

species in the field. The genus Eriocaulon can be identified 

by fenestrated leaves; aerenchyma (air pockets, left) which 

help the plant cope with waterlogged conditions. However 

the genera Syngonanthus and Paepalanthus can only be 

differentiated by dissecting the tiny flowers under a 

microscope. Each dense inflorescence contains tens of tiny 

flowers so this can be quite a challenge! 

Species in the genus Eriocaulon tend to be aquatic or are 

found only in damp patches in savanna; ponds, puddles 

and damp wheel ruts are good place to look for members of 

this species. The most common species Eriocaulon fuliginosum C. Wright ex Griseb. 

can be found in large numbers at the edges of shallow pools and in damp areas of 

the savanna. Rarer species like E. schippii Standl. ex Moldenke and E. kinlochii 

Moldenke are entirely aquatic and only a few individuals at a time can be found in 

lagoons and large pools of water in the savanna. Eriocaulon species tend to be 

acaulescent: the leaves are held in a basal rosette, the exception is E. schippii 

which has an elongate stem that floats in the water.

References: 

Species in the genera Syngonanthus 

and Paepalanthus tend to be found 

in well-drained sandy areas of 

savanna, often under Pine or Oak 

trees. The most common species is 

Paepalanthus lamarckii Kunth, this 

species has an elongate stem (it is not 

acaulescent) with long hairs on the 

flat leaves and on the flower stalk 

(peduncle). The only species this 

might be confused with is the 

endemic species P. gentlei Moldenke; P. gentlei has broader 

leaves, no long hairs on the stem and leaves and a 

distinctive elongate inflorescence (above left), all the other 

Eriocaulaceae species have spherical inflorescences (above 

right). The other five species of Syngonanthus and 

Paepalanthus are acaulescent (left) and tend to be very 

small. 

Tonina is an aquatic herb with an elongated stem similar to 

E. schippii, however it uniquely has inflorescences arranged 

along the stem; all other Eriocaulaceae have their 

inflorescences held terminally, at the end of the stem. 

Angiosperm Phylogeny Group III (2009). An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group 

classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III. Botanical Journal of the Linnean 

Society 161: 105–121. 

Balick, M.J., Nee, M.H. & Atha, D.E. (2000). Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Belize. Memoirs of the 

New York Botanical Garden 85: 1–246. 

Davidse, G., Sousa Sánchez, M. & Chater, A.O. (1994). Alismataceae a Cyperaceae. In: Fl. 

Mesoamer. pp. 1–543. México: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México 

Goodwin, Z.A., Harris, D.J., Bridgewater, S.G.M., Lopez, G.N., Haston, E., Cameron, I.D., Michelakis, D., 

Ratter, J.A., Furley, P.A., Kay, E., Whitefoord, C., Solomon, J. & Stuart, N. (In Press). A checklist of the 

vascular plants of the lowland savannas and associated wetlands of Belize, Central America. 

Phytotaxa. 

Sano, P.T., Trovó, M. & Giulietti, A.M. (2011). Neotropical Eriocaulaceae, Neotropikey. In: Neotropikey. 

Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 

Conservation of the Lowland Savanna Ecosystem: Belize 

www.eeo.ed.ac.uk/sea-belize

Belize Savanna Factsheet C6 Eriocaulaceae

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