Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Herbs or shrubs, annual or perennial.

Stems: Stems usually erect, sometimes spreading or procumbent, branched or unbranched, unarmed in almost all species.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves usually palmately compound, sometimes simple. Alternate, spirally arranged. Margins entire, serrate, or serrulate. Veins pinnate. Petiole present (pulvinus usually present, nectaries absent, petiolar spines sometimes present, petiolules present). Stipules usually present.

Flowers: Flowers in inflorescences terminal or axillary, usually racemose, sometimes flat-topped, or flowers solitary (usually elongated in fruit). Pedicels present. Flowers bisexual (perfect) (developmentally unisexual within sections of racemes), actinomorphic or slightly zygomorphic, rotate to crateriform, campanulate, or urceolate; perianth and androecium hypogynous. Sepals persistent or deciduous, 4, distinct or connate basally. Petals 4, attached directly to receptacle, imbricate, distinct, equal or unequal; intrastaminal nectary-discs, scales, or glands present or absent. Stamens [4–]6–27[–35]; filaments free or basally adnate to gynophore or androgynophore, glabrous or pubescent; anthers dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Pollen shed in single grains, binucleate, commonly tricolporate. Ovary superior, 1-carpellate (except 2 in Oxystylis), 2-locular; placentation parietal; ovules 1–18(–26+) per locule, anatropous, bitegmic; style 1; stigma 1, capitate, unlobed.

Fruit: Fruit capsular or nutlets (usually stipitate from elongation of gynophore; erect to divergent; usually not inflated); valvate; elongate (± dehiscent by 2 lateral valves; except in Polanisia); or schizocarps (inflated in Peritoma arborea); indehiscent or dehiscent. Seeds 1–65[–200]; tan; yellowish brown; light brown; pale green; brown; reddish brown; silver-gray; or gray to black (papillose or tuberculate); arillate or not; endosperm scanty or absent; persistent perisperm sometimes present; cotyledons incumbent; (radicle-hypocotyl elongated).

Ploidy:

Habitat:

Elevation Range: