Aristea Aiton

Evergreen herbs with rhizomes. Leaves equitant, linear to lanceolate, distichous, crowded basally, usually a few also cauline. Stems rounded to compressed and 2-sided, or strongly winged, simple or branched, bearing reduced leaves or leafless. Inflorescences binate rhipidia (umbellate flower-clusters in 2 series, unless reduced to 1-2 flowers); the binate rhipidia 1-many, either terminal on the main and secondary axes or axillary, then stalked or sessile; spathes (enclosing the binate rhipidia) green or partly to entirely membranous or scarious, the margins entire, irregularly torn or fringed; floral bracts (within the spathes) membranous or scarious, entire, irregularly torn or fringed. Flowers frequently sessile, actinomorphic, blue, each lasting one morning only, the perianth twisting spirally on fading; tepals basally connate for 0.5-2 mm., usually subequal, lanceolate to obovate, spreading horizontally. Stamens erect, free; anthers oblong. Ovary ovoid to oblong and trigonous, usually included in the bracts; style filiform, eccentric, dividing apically into 3 short stigmatic-lobes, occasionally barely 3-fid. Capsules ovoid-ellipsoid to oblong-cylindric and usually 3-lobed (in some South African SPECIES 3-winged), sessile or stalked, the remains of the perianth usually persisting on the capsules. Seeds few-many per locule, rounded to angular (radially compressed in some South African SPECIES).