Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Herbs [subshrubs], annual or perennial, not fleshy [fleshy], autotrophic.

Stems: Stems prostrate or repent to ascending or erect, often rooting at nodes, 4-angled or weakly so (Micranthemum).

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Leaves cauline, or basal and cauline [basal], opposite, rarely whorled. Blade not fleshy [or fleshy], leathery or not. Margins entire, undulate, or toothed. Petioles present or absent. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers solitary, or in terminal, racemelike, or axillary, Inflorescences. Flowers bisexual (perfect), pedicels present; bracteoles absent. . Sepals 4 or 5, connate or partially so proximally, calyx radially or bilaterally symmetric. Petals 4 or 5, connate, corolla bilaterally symmetric, bilabiate or unilabiate, cylindric, campanulate, or rotate. Stamens 2 or 4, adnate to corolla throat, didynamous or equal, abaxial filaments geniculate; staminodes 0 or 2. Ovary superior, carpels 1, 2-carpellate, 2-locular (sometimes incompletely in Micranthemum), placentation axile; ovules orthotropous, unitegmic, tenuinucellate; style 1; stigma 1, 2-lobed, capitate or clavate or neither (Micranthemum).

Fruit: Capsules with dehiscence septicidal; poricidal (later septicidal and loculicidal); or irregular. Seeds 15–600; white; yellow; or gold; cylindric; ellipsoid; oblong to narrowly obconic; or irregularly angled; wings absent; embryo straight; endosperm rudimentary.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

Elevation Range: