Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Plants with cystoliths.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite and decussate (pairs of leaves alternating 90 degrees between nodes). Blades ovate, 2.5–13 cm long. Upper surfaces with numerous linear cystoliths. Margins entire. Petiolate. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in 1-sided spikes or racemes; bracts small, shorter than calyx. Flowers bisexual (perfect). Subtended by small, linear to triangular bracts 1–2 mm long, pedicels ca. 2 mm long. Calyx 5-lobed. Corolla funnel–shaped; tube expanded distally into a throat; 3–3.5 cm, ca. 1 cm wide at mouth, lobes erect. Stamens 4; anthers 2-thecous; staminodes 0. Ovary superior, 2-carpellate, placentation axile; pubescent; ovules 4; style filiform, simple; stigma 2-lobed or capitate.

Fruit: Capsules with two cells; usually dehiscing explosively; capsules ellipsoid to clavate. Seeds 4; lenticular; lacking trichomes; on small hooked stalks (modified funiculus) that ejects the seeds from the capsule; embryos usually large; endosperm absent.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Forest margins.

Elevation Range: