Plants compact, caespitose or with compact centre and long shoots, isophyllous or heterophyllous. Leaves: cymbiform with convex sides to nearly finger-shaped, often keeled in upper part: or mostly oval and very often connate for at least part of the length, leaf pairs differing in this feature, mucronate; epidermis cells flat to papillate, wax cover smooth or papillae, with a smooth later-al channel and wax flakes or platelets on rest of surface. Flowers: 1(-3), rarely in well-developed cymes; bracts and bracteoles present: petals pink to purple, rarely white, often arranged in 5 (rarely 6) groups. Filamentous staminodes: mostly in a central cone surrounding stamens closely. Capsules: 5, rarely 6 locules, stalked-always with persisting bracteoles, top with high or low valve rims, base mostly bowl-shaped, sometimes funnel-shaped; covering membranes undulate, more rarely straight, mostly elevated in centre, in several species with radial or tangential wings or other protrusions on them: closing body large, rarely small, absent in one species; expanding keels broad, diverging and radial in distal part, reaching to tip of valve; valves with or with-out mostly narrow valve wings.
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