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Hatpins
Eriocaulon compressum Lam.
(e-ri-o-CALL-un com-PRESS-um)
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General:
These charming members
of the pipewort family are prized by flower arrangers because they dry
unchanged and keep a long time, thus the nickname “everlastings.”
Flowers/Fruit:
Hatpins are densly
packed, minute white flowers. The button-like heads sway at the
ends of long stems, 5 dm. (15-20 in.) long, which emerge from basal
rosettes of leaves. The species name “compressum” indicates that
the flowers are compressed into tight heads 1-1.5 cm. (1/2 in.) in
diameter. The stamens and pistils are usually in the same heads,
but in different individual flowers. It is interesting to observe
them under a low powered microscope.
Bog Buttons,
Lachnocaulon anceps, is a related species that is much smaller.
The heads are 5 to 8 mm. (1/4 to 1/2 in.) in diameter and the stems are
1 to 3 dm. (less than 12 in.) tall.
Leaves/Stems:
The narrow leaves are 10-15 cm (4 to 6 in.) long and form a dense rosette on the ground. The leaves have no stems.
Distribution:
Hat Pins and Bog
Buttons are found in wet, sunny locations such as ditches, marshes,
ponds and flatwoods throughout Florida and in the coastal plains from
North Carolina to Mississippi.
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