Eriocaulon L.

Eriocaulon asteroides is known from six locations in Nigeria and Cameroon, in West Africa (1).

Found on thin, peaty, seasonally waterlogged soil in the cracks between blocks of basalt; a habitat known as 'basalt pavement' (3). Usually associated with the bladderwort Utricularia scandens, and grasses and sedges such as Loudetia simplex and Scleria interrupta, at altitudes of between 1,700 and 2,500 metres above sea level (3).

Classified as Vulnerable (VU - D2) on the IUCN Red List 2002 (1).

Ericocaulon asteroides is considered to be Vulnerable (1), but the precise threats to its survival have not been identified. It is likely that heavy trampling by cattle on the thin soil may damage these plants by dislodging them (3). However, without some level of grazing or of grassland fires, soil can build up, and this will in turn allow grasses such as Sporobolus spp. to encroach and smother, or compete with, the small E. asteroides (3).