Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Erect to prostrate, pubescent annual or perennial herbs, sometimes somewhat woody at base.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Margins entire. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers solitary or in small cymes. Flowers bisexual (perfect), actinomorphic or occasionally slightly irregular. Calyx divided nearly to base, the lobes linear to spatulate. Corolla purple to white, narrowly funnelform to narrowly campanulate, usually longer than calyx; the tube often with scales at the summit opposite the lobes, formed by invagination of the corolla tube, the lobes imbricate or convolute, rarely valvate. Stamens 5, alternate with the corolla lobes, included in corolla tube, usually unequal in length and unequally inserted on corolla; base of filaments appendaged or dilated; anthers dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior, 1-celled, but appearing 2-celled by the strongly intruded placentas; ovules numerous; style usually deeply divided, gynobasic, arising from between the essentially distinct ovary lobes, sometimes terminal, often heterostylous; stigma usually simple, capitate or discoid, sometimes 2-lobed or 4-lobed.

Fruit: Fruit usually consisting of (1–)4 1–seeded; separate nutlets or 1–2 1–4–seeded nuts or drupelets; these variously sculptured; pubescent or glabrous and ± glossy. capsules loculicidal or rarely septicidal; membranous. Seeds variously pitted or reticulate; sometimes smooth.

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