Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Annual or perennial herbs, rarely subshrubs or shrubs.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite, alternate, or whorled. Blades sometimes somewhat succulent. Margins entire. Petiolate [or sessile]. Stipules present or absent, when present, ± conspicuous.

Flowers: Flowers in cymes or solitary in the leaf axils. Flowers small and usually inconspicuous, bisexual (perfect) or rarely unisexual, actinomorphic. Calyx of (4)5 sepals; sepals persistent, distinct or rarely connate at base. Corolla (petals) absent, sometimes represented by petaloid staminodes, these sometimes connate basally. Stamens (2–)5–10, sometimes more numerous; anthers dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits; filaments distinct or sometimes connate at base. Ovary superior, 2–5-carpellate, 2–5-celled, placentation axile; ovules usually numerous per cell, rarely 1, anatropous.

Fruit: Loculicidal capsules; sometimes opening by transverse slits; rarely indehiscent; usually surrounded by the persistent calyx. Seeds sometimes arillate; true endosperm absent.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

Elevation Range: