Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Perennial or occasionally annual herbs primarily of wet habitats, ± with rhizomes.

Stems: Rhizomes.

Roots: Fibrous root system.

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate, usually equitant; primarily basal, sometimes cauline. Blades terete (cylindrical) or linear–filiform, ensiform. Veins parallel. Sheathing, sheaths open. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in scapes terminal, erect, leafless, bracts numerous, imbricate. Flowers odorless and without nectar, pollinated by pollen–gathering bees, bisexual (perfect). Calyx zygomorphic or rarely nearly actinomorphic, consisting of usually 3 sepals, the outer one thin and membranous, enclosing the rest of the flower before anthesis, occasionally reduced or absent, lateral sepals chaffy and scarious, boat-shaped, keeled. Corolla actinomorphic or slightly irregular, yellow or occasionally white or blue, consisting of 3 distinct or connate petals. Stamens 3(6), opposite the petals, sometimes alternating with as many staminodes; filaments adnate to petals; anthers dithecal, extrorse or introrse, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior, 3-carpellate, 1-celled, basally 3-celled, or rarely completely 3-celled, placentation parietal, free-central, or axile; ovules (1–) numerous, orthotropous to anatropous; style terminal, unlobed or 3-lobed.

Fruit: Capsules loculicidal or sometimes dehiscing irregularly. seeds with copious; mealy; starchy or proteinaceous endosperm. Seeds with copious; mealy; starchy or proteinaceous endosperm.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

Elevation Range: