Eriocaulon schlechteri Ruhland

Tufted annual. Leaves narrowly linear, 2-5 cm long, 1-2 mm wide, tapering to an acute tip. Scapes 1-10, slender, (4-)9-16 cm long, 5-ribbed; sheaths ± as long as the leaves, obliquely spathe-like at the mouth, Heads hemispherical to almost spherical, 3.5-4 mm in diameter, light to dark greyish-brown, glabrous, slightly glossy; receptacle with long, silky, spirally twisted hairs. Involucral bracts as wide as the head, narrowly obovate-oblong, ±1 mm long, obtuse to subacute, spreading upwards in fruit. Floral bracts resembling the involucral bracts but narrower, the upper margins toothed. ±1 mm long. Flowers 1.1-1.2 mm long. Male flowers: sepals 2 or 3, united at the base only, the 2 lateral ones boat-shaped, curved, narrowly obovate-oblong, ±1 mm long, dark, the median when present straight and flat, the tips irregularly, finely toothed; petals 3, very small, white with black gland at the tip, the median with a few hairs; anthers 4 or 6, black. Female flowers: sepals 2 or 3, free, two boat-shaped, curved, narrowly obovate-oblong, 1-2(-3) mm long, dark, glabrous, the median when present very variable, the tips irregularly, finely toothed; petals 3, subequal, linear, 1-1.5 mm long, pallid, fleshy, tipped by a large black gland, margins with long, silky, twisted, hairs; ovary 3-locular. Seeds ellipsoid, 0.35-0.4 mm long; seed coat cells rectangular, vertically elongated, aligned in vertical rows; appendages in the form of ribbon-like bands on the vertical walls and solitary incomplete bands on the transverse radial walls, the seed surface appearing net-like with ±8, longitudinal, white, ribbon-like bands.