Annual or perennial herbs. Involucral bracts scarious to coriaceous, spreading to reflexed at maturity. Floral bracts often white-hairy towards the tip. Flowers borne on a central receptacle; male and female mixed or female around the edge. Sepals free or ± connate in male flowers, usually free in the female. Petals usually with a black gland near or at the tip, often white-hairy at the tip. Male petals all small or one enlarged and exserted. Male flowers with stamens (in our species) 6 or 4, twice as many as the petals; anthers black or white. Female flowers with petals free. Seeds ellipsoid, smooth or distinctively patterned. Derivation of name: from Greek: erion meaning wool, caulos meaning stem Worldwide: c. 400 species in tropical and warm regions of the world; some temperate. Zambia: 26 taxa. |
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| Species | FZ divisions | Content |
| abyssinicum Hochst. | N,C,E,S | Description, Image |
| africanum Hochst. | N,C | |
| afzelianum Wikstr. ex Körn. | N,W | |
| angustibracteatum Kimpouni | B,N,W | |
| bongense Ruhland | W | |
| buchananii Ruhland | N,W,C,E,S | |
| chloanthe S.M.Phillips | E | |
| cinereum R. Br. | B,W | |
| deightonii Meikle | W | |
| inyangense Arw. | N,C | |
| latifolium Sm. | N | |
| mbalensis S.M.Phillips | N | |
| mutatum N.E. Br. var. angustisepalum (H.E. Hess) S.M. Phillips | B,N,C | |
| mutatum N.E.Br. var. majus S.M.Phillips | N,W,C | |
| mutatum N.E. Br. var. mutatum | B,N,W | |
| pictum Fritsch | N,W | Description, Image |
| ramocaulon Kimpouni | N,W | |
| setaceum L. | N,W | |
| stenophyllum R.E. Fr. | B,N | Description, Image |
| taeniophyllum S.M.Phillips | N,C | |
| teusczii Engl. & Ruhland ex Ruhland | B,N,W,C | |
| transvaalicum N.E.Br. subsp. dembianense (Chiov.) S.M.Phillips | N,W | |
| transvaalicum N.E. Br. subsp. hanningtonii (N.E. Br.) S.M. Phillips | C,E | |
| transvaalicum N.E. Br. subsp. tofieldifolium (Schinz) S.M. Phillips | Image | |
| varium Kimpouni | N,W | |
| welwitschii Rendle | W,S |