Eriocaulon miquelianum var. miquelianum ("Inunohige")

Japanese name: イヌノヒゲ （犬髭）
Scientific name: Eriocaulon miquelianum var. miquelianum

[Overview]
An annual 5–30 cm tall, growing in wetlands.
The leaves are linear-lanceolate, 6–20 cm long and 0.1–0.5 cm wide at the middle, with 7–9 veins arranged in a lattice pattern.
The flower stalk is slightly twisted and has 4–5 ribs.
At the tip of the flower stalk is an inverted-conical flower head 0.3–0.4 cm across, with an involucre attached radially at the base of the inflorescence.
The involucral bracts are linear-lanceolate to obovate and pale green, and longer than the flower head, but their length, shape and amount of hair vary.
There are male and female flowers, arranged spirally on the receptacle.
The floral bracts are obovate with short white hairs on the upper edge.
The male flowers, about 0.2 cm long, have 3 petals that are fused except at the top, and the female flowers, 0.2–0.3 cm long, have 2–3 petals.
The petals of the female flowers have a short stalk at the base.
The petals have white hairs and black glands.
There are 6 stamens with black anthers, and 3 stigmas.
The calyx is fused in a spathe-like form, shallowly 3-lobed, with short white hairs.
The fruit is a capsule, and the surface of the seeds has T-shaped projections.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed.
It prefers a sunny, airy place that is always moist.
A soil low in fertilizer is suitable.
Take care that it does not dry out; for potted plants, it is best to water by standing the pot in shallow water.
Fertilizer is not particularly necessary.

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