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Flowers monoecious, dioecious or polygamous, sessile or subsessile, unibracteate and bibracteolate. Sepals 3-5, rarely 1, discrete, hypogynous, concave, occasionally basally clawed, equal or subequal, membranaceous, erect and persistent in fruit. Stamens 3-5, rarely 1, hypogynous, discrete; filaments filiform; anthers 4-locellate, introrse, medially attached, oblong. Ovary ovoid to lenticular, 1-locular, 1-ovulate, the ovule campylotropous on a short exarillate funicle, the placentation basal; styles 1-3; stigmata 2-3, usually exceeding the styles. Fruit a utricle, indehiscent or circumscissile; seeds cochleate-orbiculate, smooth to minutely verrucose. Leaves alternate, entire to minutely crenulate, long-petiolate. Erect or prostrate, glabrous to pubescent annual herbs. Inflorescences of terminal and/or axillary spicate or paniculate thyrses, in Panama monoecious or polygamous with female flowers basally, hermaphroditic flowers medially, and male flowers distally, the latter tending to have longer, narrower sepals.
Annuals, erect or wholly or partly decumbent, unarmed or spinous. Leaves alternate, entire. Flowers (♂♀) in sessile, small, dense clusters, clusters axillary or collected in axillary and terminal, solitary or panicled spikes. Flowers solitary in the axil of a bract, sustended by 2 bracteoles; bracts and bracteoles small, scarious. Tepals 3 or 5, rarely 4, erect or obliquely patent, free, subequal, membranous, green, purple, or pellucid with a green or purple median band, after anthesis sometimes indurate at base. Stamens as many as tepals; filaments free, filiform, no pseudo-staminodes; anthers 2-celled (4-locellate). Ovary ovate or oblong, ovule 1, sessile, erect; style short or none; stigmas 2-4, often 3, erect or spreading-recurved, linear. Utricle laterally compressed, membranous, circumsciss when ripe or bursting irregularly or falling off unopened together with the perianth; seed erect, lenticular, shining black or brown.
Monoecious or dioecious; fls small, each subtended by bracts and bracteoles; cal of 1–5 scarious or membranous sep separate to the base, often aristate, or wanting from the pistillate fls; stamens 1–5, with short filament and linear-oblong anther; ovary short and broad, compressed; style short or virtually none; stigmas (2)3(5), slender, pubescent; ovule l; fr a thin-walled to coriaceous utricle, indehiscent or bursting irregularly, or commonly circumscissile at the middle, crowned by the persistent stigmas; seed flattened or lenticular, round to obovate; prostrate to erect annuals, usually much branched, with alternate, petiolate, entire or sinuate lvs; fls in small axillary clusters, or aggregated into axillary or terminal, simple or panicled spike-like thyrses. 50, widespread. (Acnida) Spp. 8–13 are ± connected by intermediates of hybrid origin.
Annual or more rarely perennial herbs, glabrous or furnished with short and gland-like or multicellular hairs, dioecious (not in E. Africa) or monoecious. Leaves alternate, long-petiolate, simple and entire or sinuate. Inflorescence basically cymose, bracteate, consisting entirely of dense to lax axillary clusters or the upper clusters leafless and ± approximate to form a lax or dense “spike” or panicle. Flowers bibracteolate; perianth-segments (2–)3–5, free or connate at the base, membranous, those of ♀ slightly accrescent in fruit. Stamens free, usually similar in number to the perianth-segments; anthers bilocular. Stigmas 2–3; ovule solitary, erect. Fruit a dry capsule, indehiscent, irregularly rupturing or commonly dehiscing by a circumscissile lid. Seeds usually black and shining; testa thin; embryo annular, endosperm present.
Annual, monoecious or dioecious, herbs; stems erect or prostrate, simple to highly branched, glabrous to pubescent. Leaves alternate, petiolate; blade ovate, elliptical or rhombic, apex usually obtuse or truncate and apiculate, base cuneate and decurrent on petiole; primary and secondary venation often lighter coloured and prominent on upper surface. Inflorescences essentially cymose, glomerules aggregated into axillary clusters, and often also aggregated into terminal spikes, thyrses or panicles; bracts and bracteoles present. Flowers unisexual; tepals 3-5, scarious, apiculate, often persistent; stamens (2)3-5, filaments free, slender, anthers 4-locular; ovary at top rounded or thickened, stigmas 2-3. Fruit a dry, circumscissile or apparently indehiscent utricle; seed lenticular or ovoid, erect, exarillate.
Herbs annual. Stem erect or decumbent. Leaves alternate, petiolate, margin entire. Flowers unisexual, on same plant or not, sessile, clustered at axils and at apex, in solitary or complex thyrsoid structures; each flower with 1 bract and 2 bracteoles, scarious. Tepals 5, rarely 1-4, erect or obliquely spreading, sometimes indurate at base after anthesis, green, equal or subequal, membranous. Stamens 5, rarely 1-4; filaments free, filiform, pseudostaminodes absent; anthers 2-loculed. Ovary with 1 erect ovule; style short or absent; stigmas 2 or 3, persistent, subulate or linear. Utricles globose or ovoid, laterally compressed, membranous, dehiscent by lid, dehiscing irregularly or falling off together with perianth and indehiscent. Seeds black or brown, globose or lenticular, without aril.
Annual, rarely perennial, usually monoecious, sometimes dioecious, prostrate to erect herbs. Lvs alternate, entire. Infl. cymose, composed of axillary or terminal spikes; spikes sessile or pedunculate, solitary or clustered (paniculate). Fls densely arranged and each subtended by a bract and 2 bracteoles; bracts and bracteoles occasionally spiny, often varying in length in each cymose cluster. Tepals (2)-3 or (4)-5, membranous, green, brown, red, or hyaline, persistent. Stamens as many as tepals, free; staminodes 0. Stylar branches 2-3-(4), with stigmatic surface to near base; ovule 1, sessile. Fr. dry, membranous, indehiscent, or dehiscent and circumscissile; pericarp usually smooth, enclosed in persistent perianth. Seed usually glossy, smooth and black or dark brown.
Inflorescence basically cymose, bracteate, consisting entirely of dense to lax axillary clusters or the upper clusters leafless and more or less approximate to form a lax or dense “spike” or panicle.
Perianth segments (2) 3–5, free or connate at the base, membranous, those of the female flowers sometimes slightly accrescent in fruit.
Annual or more rarely perennial herbs, glabrous or furnished with short and gland-like or multicellular hairs.
Fruit a dry capsule, indehiscent, irregularly rupturing or commonly dehiscing by a circumcissile lid.
Stamens free, usually similar in number to the perianth segments; anthers bilocular.
Seeds usually black and shining, testa thin; embryo annular, endosperm present.
Leaves alternate, long-petiolate, simple and entire or sinuate.
Flowers monoecious or (not in Africa) dioecious, bibracteolate.
Ovule solitary, erect.
Stigmas 2–3.
