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Herbs perennial, biennial, or annual, less often lianas, shrubs, or trees, usually bristly or scabrous-pubescent. Leaves simple, exstipulate, alternate, rarely opposite, entire or serrate at margin. Inflorescences often double scorpioid cymes, rarely solitary; bracts present or absent. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic, rarely zygomorphic. Calyx usually 5-parted or lobed, mostly persistent. Corolla tubular, campanulate, rotate, funnelform, or salverform; tube appendages 5, rarely more, mostly trapeziform, rarely absent, sometimes a ring of hairs present; limb usually 5-parted; lobes overlapping, rarely twisted in bud. Stamens 5, inserted on corolla tube or rarely at throat, included or rarely exserted; anthers introrse, 2-loculed, usually dorsifixed at base, less often medifixed, dehiscence longitudinal. Nectaries at base of corolla tube or on disc below ovary. Ovary superior, 2-carpellate; locules 2 and each with 2 ovules, or 4 and each with 1 ovule; ovules nearly atropous, semianatropous, or anatropous. Style terminal or gynobasic, branched or not. Gynobase flat, fastigiate, or subulate. Fruit 1-4-seeded drupes or nutlets (mericarps); nutlets mostly dry, often ornamented with wings, prickles and/or glochids (stiff bristles with barbed or anchorlike tips). Seeds vertical or oblique, coat membranous; embryo straight, less often curved; cotyledons flat, fleshy.
Annual to perennial herbs, rarely shrubs or trees; tap-rooted or rhizomatous; usually with an indumentum of stiff, tubercle-based simple or stellate hairs. Leaves alternate, often rosetted at base, rarely opposite, simple, entire, petiolate or sessile; stipules absent. Inflorescences axillary or terminal, monochasial or dichasial scorpioid cymes, sometimes congested into terminal head-like clusters or flowers solitary; bracts usually present. Flowers usually actinomorphic, bisexual, 5-merous. Calyx usually fused, sometimes only near base. Corolla tubular, lobes spreading to erect, often with saccate protrusions or scales in the throat or at the base of the tube. Stamens 5, rarely fewer, fused to and alternating with corolla lobes; anthers often included within corolla tube, opening by longitudinal slits, sometimes coherent. Gynoecium of 2 fused carpels. Ovary superior, 2-locular or 4-locular by secondary subdivision by a false septa; ovules 1 per locule, basal; style gynobasic, usually simple, stigma terminal, capitate or lobed. Fruit a schizocarp, splitting into 4 (or fewer by abortion) single-seeded mericarps, the mericarps variable, smooth or variously ornamented. Seeds usually with very little endosperm.
Annual to perennial herbs; indumentum usually scabrid to hispid, often glandular, sometimes with foetid odour. Leaves alternate, often rosetted at base, simple and lobed or pinnately compound entire, petiolate or sessile; stipules absent. Inflorescences axillary or terminal, usually monochasial scorpioid cymes, flower clusters sometimes congested; bracts usually present. Flowers usually actinomorphic, bisexual, 5-merous. Calyx fused, sometimes only near base. Corolla campanulate to rotate, lobes spreading to erect, often with saccate protrusions or scales in the throat or at the base of the tube. Stamens 5, equal or unequal, fused basally to and alternating with corolla lobes; anthers exserted or included within corolla tube, opening by longitudinal slits. Gynoecium of 2 fused carpels. Ovary superior or half inferior, 1-or 2-locular, sometimes appearing 4-or 5-locular by secondary subdivision by a false septa; ovules 1–many per locule, axile; style 1, terminal, bifid, stigma capitate. Fruit a 2 valved, loculicidal capsule. Seeds 1–many, with copious endosperm.
Annual to perennial herbs, subshrubs, shrubs, vines or small trees; hermaphrodite or dioecious; usually with simple, tubercule-based hairs, sometimes glandular. Leaves alternate, lower ones sometimes opposite, simple, petiolate or sessile; stipules absent. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, monochasial or dichasial, scorpioid or helicoid cymes, sometimes flowers solitary; bracts present or absent. Flowers actinomorphic, bisexual, rarely bisexual, 5-merous. Calyx usually fused at base, sometimes persistent in fruit. Corolla tubular, often with scales in throat, lobes linear to subcircular. Stamens 5, fused to and alternating with corolla lobes; anthers usually included within corolla tube, opening by longitudinal slits. Gynoecium of 2 fused carpels. Ovary superior, usually 4-locular by secondary subdivision by a false septa; ovules 1 per locule, basal; style terminal with a large conical stigmatic head which apically sterile and often 2-lobed. Fruit usually a schizocarp, rarely a drupe, splitting into 1–4, single-or two-seeded mericarps.
Ovary superior, entire or deeply 4-lobed, bi-locular or spuriously 4-locular, placentation axial, ovules 4, erect or spreading; style 1, terminal or gynobasic, entire or cleft or twice cleft, or styles 2, terminal (Coldenia)
Corolla (4)5(6)-lobed, imbricate or contorted in bud, tubular, funnel-shaped, campanulate, salver-shaped or rotate; tube sometimes with folds, scales or hairs in the throat
Stamens (or staminodes) as many as corolla lobes and alternate with them, inserted on the corolla tube; anthers 2-thecous, dehiscing longitudinally, introrse, dorsifixed
Inflorescence usually cymose, composed of one or more helicoid or scorpioid cymes, sometimes paniculate or racemose or sometimes flowers solitary, terminal or axillary
Fruit drupaceous with a 1–4-seeded stone or splitting into 4 pyrenes, or of one to four-seeded nutlets; seeds generally without endosperm
Ovary superior, 2-celled or 4-celled by spurious septa, entire or deeply 4-lobed; style terminal or gynobasic
Stamens the same number as the corolla-lobes and alternate with them, inserted on the corolla
Flowers often in scorpoid cymes, actinomorphic or rarely oblique, mostly hermaphrodite
Flowers hermaphrodite or sometimes unisexual, actinomorphic or sometimes zygomorphic
Leaves alternate, rarely subopposite or opposite, simple exstipulate
Leaves alternate or rarely opposite, simple; stipules absent
Calyx (4)5(6)-lobed or 3–5-toothed, imbricate or valvate
Ovules paired, erect or spreading from the central axis
Trees, shrubs or herbs, often roughly scabrid or hispid
Corolla with contorted or imbricate lobes
Calyx-lobes imbricate or rarely valvate
Anthers 2-celled, opening lengthwise
Seeds with or without endosperm
Fruit a drupe or of 4: nutlets
Herbs, shrubs or rarely trees
Disk present or absent
Disk present or absent
