Monoecious annuals, up to 11 cm high, glabrous. Leaves forming a rosette at the base, 20-60 x 0.5-1.5 mm, subulate to narrowly linear, acute, glabrous, brownish-green (in sicco). Peduncles many, exceeding the leaves, 4-12(-13)cm, 5-angled. Sheath 7-25 mm, shorter than the peduncles; apex oblique. Capitula ovate-globose, whitish to straw-yellow, 2-3.5mm in diameter., Involucral bract oblong to lanceolate , glabrous. Male flowers: outer perianth segments 3 , united basally to form a cupular structure, glabrous, apically tridentate, teeth unequal, yellow to whitish or greenish; inner segments united into a tube, tridentate, teeth unequal, each ending in a black gland. Stamens 6, anthers globose, white. Female flower: outer perianth segments 2, free, linear, acuminate; inner segments absent. Ovary glabrous, 3-locular, style long; stigmas 3, filiform

Fl. Per.: August-September.

Type of variety: Described from Japan.

Distribution: Afghanistan, Tien-Shan, Pamir-Alai, Africa, India, Burma, Assam, Sri Lanka, Japan and China.

The type of Eriocaulon cinereum var. cinereum from Australia is a dwarf plant (3-5) cm tall with many slender peduncles, more or less of equal length. Our material differs from the typical variety in its larger stature (plants up to 11 cm tall), thicker and usually fewer peduncles, fairly unequal in size. The leaves in Eriocaulon cinereum var. cinereum are very linear, almost needle-like, while in Eriocaulon cinereum var. sieboldianum they are considerably broader. The differences are not strong enough to recognize our plants as a separate species (Eriocaulon sieboldianum Sieb. & Zucc.) as previous authors have done with the Asiatic material, but at the same time, while comparing with the type of Eriocaulon cinereum, it is difficult to consider the Asiatic material conspecific with the typical Australian material.

A specimen at BM from Musakhel, (loc. from Varcha and Choi to Gujrat)collected by Schlagintweit (17 Feb.-5 March, 1857) has been indentified as Eriocaulon achiton Koern. Eriocaulon achiton is found in the Khasia Hills (E. India) and it is unlikely that it could occur in the Salt Range. It has never been collected or reported from this area since. I have not been able to see the specimen, it is possible that the plant is a misidentification.

Scarce in Pakistan. Found from 1520-1820 m in Hazara and Kashmir.