Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Biennial herbs (3–)10–50 cm tall.

Stems: Stems usually solitary, occasionally several, branched in the upper part.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite (both rosette leaves and cauline leaves). Rosette leaves obovate to elliptic, 1–5 cm long, 0.8–2 cm wide; cauline leaves much smaller, oblong–elliptic or occasionally elliptic, 0.8–2(–3) cm long, 0.2–0.8(–1.2) cm wide. Apex of rosette leaves usually obtuse; apex of cauline leaves usually acute. Surfaces glabrous. Margins entire. Rosette leaves 3–7-veined; cauline leaves 3-veined. Sessile and sometimes clasping the stem. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers numerous in corymbose cymes, bracts linear to linear-lanceolate. Flowers bisexual (perfect), actinomorphic. Calyx (4)5-lobed, deeply cleft, the lobes linear, margins often scarious, 3–4 mm long. Corolla pink, rarely white, the tube 6–8 mm long; (4)5-lobed, the lobes 3–4 mm long, narrow, apex usually emarginate; nectary disk or distinct nectary glands present, usually surrounding the ovary. Stamens usually exserted, as many as and alternate with the corolla lobes; anthers dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits or rarely by terminal pores, oblong, spirally twisted after dehiscence. Ovary superior, 2-carpellate, 1-celled, placentation parietal, sometimes deeply intruded; ovules usually numerous, anatropous; style terminal, filiform, simple or 2-lobed, deciduous, wet and papillate.

Fruit: Septicidal capsules; cylindrical; ca. 7–8 mm long; 2–valved. Seeds numerous; pale brown; ca.0.2 mm long; the surface reticulate; with oily endosperm.

Ploidy: 2n = 14–20; 40; 42

Habitat: Naturalized in dry to mesic; disturbed sites.

Elevation Range: 10–2,140 m.