Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Erect perennial herbs.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple or rarely compound. Alternate and 2-ranked in caulescent species, many-ranked in acaulescent ones. Usually petiolate. Stipules minute to large, often persistent.

Flowers: Flowers in axillary inflorescences. Flowers unisexual, often somewhat irregular. Each flower subtended by showy, colored bracts. Perianth pink or white, staminate flowers (8)10 Perianth parts, consisting of (4)5 distinct, subequal sepals 6–15 mm long, pistillate flowers with 10 Perianth parts, sepals connate, the Calyx tube adnate to ovary, the lobes 6–8 mm long, arising from about the middle of ovary. Corolla of staminate flowers with (4)5 minute petals ca. 1–1.5 mm long. corolla of pistillate flowers with 5 distinct petals, ca. 1 mm long. Stamens numerous. Ovary partly inferior, 1-celled and imperfectly 5-celled in lower part by intrusion of the placenta; ovule placentation parietal; styles 5, distinct, bifid, the branches bearing spiral stigmatic lines.

Fruit: Capsules globose; wingless; but with 1(2) prominent ridges on each side of the carpel; dehiscent at apex between styles. Seeds ovoid; reticulate.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

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