Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Slightly fleshy annual herbs.

Stems: Stems unbranched or branched.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Appearing whorled due to crowding of leaves in the axils. Blades filiform to subulate. Bases sessile, often connate around the stem. Margins entire. Sessile. Stipules dry and membranous, 4 per node.

Flowers: Flowers in terminal, cymose panicles. Flowers bisexual (perfect), actinomorphic. Pedicels reflexed. Calyx of 5 sepals, distinct, nearly distinct, or connate into a conspicuous tube. Corolla of 5 petals, white, margins entire. Stamens 10 or 5, distinct or adnate to petals at base to form a short tube, which may be adnate to the gynophore or sometimes adnate to lower part of calyx, petaloid staminodes sometimes present; anthers dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior; styles 5, distinct, filiform, 0.4–0.6 mm, glabrous proximally; stigmas 5, linear along adaxial surface of styles.

Fruit: Capsules dehiscing by usually 5 valves. Seeds compressed or globose; with acute margins or sometimes winged; perisperm starchy; hard or rarely soft; true endosperm absent.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Temperate regions.

Elevation Range: