Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Low, often diffusely branched annual or perennial herbs.

Stems: Stems often swollen at the nodes.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Apex acute or obtuse. Base sessile, often connate around the stem. Margins entire. 1-veined. Petioles absent. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in cymes or solitary, terminal or appearing lateral. 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, deeply 2–cleft, or absent. Stamens 10, 8 or in S. media sometimes only 2; 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; styles [2–]3(–5), capitate to clavate, 0.2–7 mm, glabrous proximally; stigmas [2–]3(–5), terminal or subterminal.

Fruit: Capsules ovoid to globose; dehiscent by twice as many or sometimes as many valves as styles. Seeds several to numerous; oblong–obovate; tuberculate or smooth; perisperm starchy; hard or rarely soft; true endosperm absent.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

Elevation Range: