Eriocaulon merrillii Ruhland; E. merrillii var. longibracteatum W. L. Ma; E. merrillii var. suishaense (Hayata) C. E. Chang; E. nigrum Lecomte var. suishaense (Hayata) Hatusima & Koyama; E. suishaense Hayata.

Leaves linear, 2.5--5(--6.5) cm, 2--4(--5) mm wide at middle, veins 8--11(--20). Scapes 5--10(--18) cm, (4 or)5(or 6)-ribbed; sheath 2--3.8 cm; receptacle glabrous or subglabrous to villous; heads straw-colored, subglobose to hemispheric, 2--3 × 2.5--5 mm; involucral bracts straw-colored, 2.5--4 × 0.7--1.8 mm, membranous, glabrous; floral bracts obovate to oblanceolate, hyaline, glabrous or sparsely hairy. Male flowers: sepals blackish, spathelike, 1--1.8 mm, glabrous or sparsely hairy at margin, apex 2- or 3-lobed; petals 3, each with a black gland or gland absent; anthers (5 or)6, black. Female flowers: sepals 2(or 3), blackish, free, usually glabrous, posterior one reduced; petals 3, villous adaxially and at margin, apex white clavate hairy; ovary 3-loculed; style 3-cleft. Seeds ovoid to subglobose, ca. 4 mm in diam.; testa hexagonally reticulate, cells longitudinally elongate or quadrangular with ribbonlike bands from longitudinal wall and a solitary, incomplete band from transverse wall. Fl. and fr. May--Dec.

Open places along stream banks; near sea level to 500 m. Guangdong, W Hainan (Changjiang Xian), Taiwan [Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Thailand].