Eriocaulon cristatum Martius var. brevicalyx C. H. Wright; E. filifolium Handel-Mazzetti; E. yaoshanense Ruhland; E. yaoshanense var. brevicalyx (C. H. Wright) W. L. Ma.

Herbs caulescent. Rhizomes elongate. Leaves filiform, 2--9 cm × 0.6--0.8 mm, veins 5--7. Scapes 1 to numerous, 7--30 cm, 5--7-ribbed; sheath 2.5--3.7 cm; receptacle glabrous; heads brown or black at base and gray at apex, subglobose, 3--8 mm in diam.; involucral bracts reflexed, straw-colored, blackish at apex, ovate to obovate, thickly membranous; floral bracts obovate to subspatulate, abaxially white clavate hairy toward apex. Male flowers: sepals 3, spathelike, apex 3-lobed to 3-cleft, lobes abaxially with some white, clavate hairs toward apex, posterior one flat, 1.3--2.1 mm, lateral ones boatlike; petals 3, obovate to elliptic, anterior one larger than others, adaxially white clavate hairy toward apex, gland black; stamens 6, anthers milky white to brownish. Female flowers: sepals 3, connate into a spathe, ± basally connate, or free, 1.3--1.7 mm, white clavate hairy adaxially and at apex, posterior sepal flat, lateral ones boatlike; petals 3, free, oblanceolate-linear, fleshy, white clavate hairy adaxially and at apex, gland black; ovary 3-loculed; style 3-cleft. Seeds ovoid, 0.5--0.6 mm; testa inconspicuously reticulate, cells transversely elongate and in vertical rows, prickles absent. Fl. and fr. Oct--Jan.

Damp soil, marshlands; ca. 200 m. Guangdong, Guangxi [India, Vietnam].