Present on Pacific Islands?  no

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: fei lu bin gu jing cao

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Leaves linear, 2.5-5 (-6.5) cm, 2-4 (-5) mm wide at middle, veins 8-11 (-20). Scapes 5-10(-18) cm, (4 or) 5 (or 6)-ribbed; sheath 2-3.8 cm; receptacle glabrous or subglabrous to villous; heads straw-colored, subglobose to hemispheric, 2-3 x 2.5-5 mm; involucral bracts straw-colored, 2.5-4 x 0.7-1.8 mm, membranous, glabrous; floral bracts obovate to oblanceolate, hyaline, glabrous or sparsely hairy. Male flowers: sepals blackish, spathelike, 1-1.8 mm, glabrous or sparsely hairy at margin, apex 2- or 3-lobed; petals 3, each with a black gland or gland absent; anthers (5 or) 6, black. Female flowers: sepals 2(or 3), blackish, free, usually glabrous, posterior one reduced; petals 3, villous adaxially and at margin, apex white clavate hairy; ovary 3-loculed; style 3-cleft. Seeds ovoid to subglobose, ca. 4 mm in diam.; testa hexagonally reticulate, cells longitudinally elongate or quadrangular with ribbonlike bands from longitudinal wall and a solitary, incomplete band from transverse wall"  (Flora of China online).

"Tufted herb, 5-20 cm tall.  Leaves strap-like, 20-60 x 1-8 mm with gradually tapering, blunt spices.  Floral heads slightly flattened, globular; 4.5-5.5 mm diameter, on glabrous stalks 5-20 cm long.  Male flowers with minute petals; female flowers with 3 sparsely hairy white petals 1.3-1.5 mm long, each tipped with a dark gland.  Seeds yellow, ribbed, 0.5-0.7 mm long."  (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998; pp. 39-40).

Habitat/ecology:  In China (native), "open places along stream banks; near sea level to 500 m"  (Flora of China online).  "Swampy areas, ditches, river margins and rice fields" (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998; pp. 39-40).

Propagation:  "Seeds dispersed by water and birds" (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998; pp. 39-40).

Native range:  China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Thailand  (Flora of China online).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands		Waterhouse, B. M./Mitchell, A. A. (1998) (p. 40)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	Merrill, Elmer D. (1925) (p. 193) In open wet places rice paddies, etc., at low and medium altitudes.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Cambodia Cambodia	Cambodia (Kingdom of)		Waterhouse, B. M./Mitchell, A. A. (1998) (p. 40)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)		Waterhouse, B. M./Mitchell, A. A. (1998) (p. 40)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)		Waterhouse, B. M./Mitchell, A. A. (1998) (p. 40)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)		Waterhouse, B. M./Mitchell, A. A. (1998) (p. 40)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	uncertain if introduced invasive	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 39) Weed of uncertain origin
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011)
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)		Waterhouse, B. M./Mitchell, A. A. (1998) (p. 40)
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)		Waterhouse, B. M./Mitchell, A. A. (1998) (p. 40)

Comments:  "A serious weed of rice in India but minor elsewhere" (Waterhouse & Mitchell, 1998; pp. 39-40).

Additional information:
Additional online information about Eriocaulon truncatum is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Eriocaulon truncatum as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Eriocaulon truncatum may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. 2009. A checklist of the total vascular plant flora of Singapore: native, naturalised and cultivated species. Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore. 273 pp.

Merrill, Elmer D. 1925. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants, vol. 1 [reprint]. Bureau of Printing, Manila. 463 pp.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Waterhouse, B. M./Mitchell, A. A. 1998. Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy: weeds target list. Second edition. Australian Quarantine & Inspection Service, Miscellaneous Publication No. 6/98. 110 pp.

Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong. 2011. Flora of China (online resource).