1	Receptacle and/or base of flowers copiously hairy; some or most receptacular bracts and perianth parts with chalk white hairs; heads white, 5 mm or more in full flower or in fruit.		(2)
+	Receptacle and/or base of flowers glabrous or sparingly hairy; receptacular bracteoles and/or perianth glabrous or hairy, hairs club-shaped, clear or white; heads dark gray or white, usually less than 7.5 mm in full flower or in fruit.		(4)
2 (1)	Heads hard, very slightly flattened when pressed; scape sheaths shorter than most leaves; involucral bracts straw-colored, apex acute; receptacular bracteoles pale, apex narrowly acuminate; pistillate flower petals adaxially glabrescent; terminal cells of club-shaped hairs of perianth whitened, basal cells often uncongested, transparent; plants of moist but seldom aquatic or permanently wet situations		5 Eriocaulon decangulare
+	Heads soft, much flattened when pressed; scape sheaths longer than most leaves; involucral bracts gray or dark, apex rounded or obtuse; receptacular bracteoles gray to dark gray, apex acute; pistillate flower petals adaxially villous; all cells of club-shaped hairs on perianth mealy white; plants in aquatic or wet substrates.		(3)
3 (2)	Mature heads 10--20 mm wide; leaves 5--30 cm; petals of staminate flower conspicuously unequal		4 Eriocaulon compressum
+	Mature heads 5--10 mm wide; leaves (1--)2--5(--7) cm; petals of staminate flower nearly equal		6 Eriocaulon texense
4 (1)	Stamens 6, pistil 3-carpellate.		(5)
+	Stamens 4, pistil 2-carpellate		(6)
5 (4)	Anthers yellow; apex of receptacular bracteoles acute		10 Eriocaulon cinereum
+	Anthers black, apex of receptacular bracteoles obtuse		11 Eriocaulon microcephalum
6 (4)	Heads 4--10 mm wide at maturity; outer involucral bracts usually reflexed, obscured by bracteoles and flowers.		(7)
+	Heads seldom as wide as 5 mm; outer involucral bracts not reflexed, not obscured by bracteoles and flowers.		(8)
7 (6)	All bracts of staminate and pistillate flowers straw-colored or pale with grayish midzone; sepals of pistillate flowers basally pale, darkening distally to grayish, gray-green, or gray-brown; heads (young or mature) very pale; seeds faintly rectangular-reticulate, often papillate in lines; s coastal plain		7 Eriocaulon lineare
+	Inner involucral bracts, receptacular bracts, and sepals darkened, usually gray to near black; young heads dark; seeds very faintly reticulate, not papillate; n and/or montane		8 Eriocaulon aquaticum
8 (6)	Bracts straw-colored, greenish, or light gray to gray, dull, margins often erose or lacerate, apex blunt to obtuse; scapes linear; plants of brackish substrates		2 Eriocaulon parkeri
+	Bracts dark, gray to blackish, very lustrous, margins all nearly entire (except Eriocaulon nigrobracteatum), apex acute; scapes filiform; plants of acidic substrates.		(9)
9 (8)	Bracts narrowly ovate to oblong or spatulate, apex acute; bracts and perianth parts (except petals in some cases) glabrous; seed conspicuously pale-reticulate		1 Eriocaulon ravenelii
+	Bracts wider in outline, apex rounded or apiculate; bracts (margins and apex) and perianth hairy; seed not pale-reticulate.		(10)
10 (9)	Petals of pistillate flowers stipitate, suborbiculate-rhombic; outer involucral bracts straw-colored, inner and receptacular bracts dark gray, gray-green, or gray-brown		3 Eriocaulon koernickianum
+	Petals of pistillate flowers short-stipitate or nearly sessile, oblong; involucral and receptacular bracts blackish or with pale base		9 Eriocaulon nigrobracteatum