Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Herbs or rarely low shrubs, glabrous.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Base subsessile. Margins thickened. Usually with numerous, parallel lateral veins. Stipules pectinate–ciliate.

Flowers: Flowers in axillary fasciculate cymes or terminal paniculate cymes, rarely solitary. Flowers bisexual (perfect), actinomorphic. Calyx of 5 sepals, imbricate, subequal, persistent. Corolla of 5 petals, distinct, imbricate, deciduous. Stamens 5, also usually with 2 series of staminodes, outer series, if present; filamentous, in 1–3 continuous or interrupted whorls opposite the stamens, persistent, inner series consisting of 5 distinct petaloid staminodes; anthers dithecal. Ovary superior, (1)2–15-carpellate, with as many cells, flask–shaped, 3-celled at base, 1-celled above, placentation parietal; ovules numerous in 2 rows; style 1.

Fruit: Septicidal capsules. Seeds globose; reticulate; not winged.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

Elevation Range: