Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Small annual (in hawai‘i) or perennial herbs, often matted, sometimes cespitose.

Stems: Stems procumbent, decumbent, or ascending, often swollen at the nodes.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades linear–lanceolate to subulate or filiform, connate at base. Apex acute to mucronate or apiculate. Base leaf bases often connate around the stem. Margins entire. 1-veined. Petioles absent. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers solitary and terminal on the branches or few in cymes. Flowers bisexual (perfect), actinomorphic. Calyx of 4–5 sepals; sepals distinct, nearly distinct, or connate into a conspicuous tube. Corolla of 4–5 petals, white, margins entire, or sometimes absent. Stamens as many or twice as many as sepals, 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.

Fruit: Capsules 4–5–valved; splitting partly or completely to base. Seeds numerous; reddish brown to tan; smooth or minutely tuberculate; perisperm starchy; hard or rarely soft; true endosperm absent.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

Elevation Range: