Herbs, perennial or rarely annual, terrestrial or epipetric, often rhizomatous, stemless or with simple or branched stems. Leaves few to many, basal or along stem and opposite, seldom in whorls of 3 or alternate, unequal to equal in a pair; leaf blade puberulent to villous or velutinous, rarely glabrous, base cuneate to cordate, rarely attenuate. Inflorescences umbel-like, lax or dense, axillary, 1-to many-flowered cymes; bracts 2, opposite, rarely to 7 and whorled, 1, or absent. Calyx actinomorphic or slightly zygomorphic, 5-sect from base or (3-)5-lobed; segments equal to subequal. Corolla purple to blue or white to yellow, pink or purple-red, rarely flesh colored, zygomorphic, inside puberulent, glandular puberulent, or glabrous; tube funnelform-tubular to campanulate or cylindric, not swollen or gibbous abaxially, longer than limb, 0.2-2 cm in diam.; limb 2-lipped; adaxial lip 2-lobed, slightly to 2-3.5 X shorter than abaxial lip; abaxial lip 3-lobed, lobes equal or central lobe longer, apex rounded, rarely to obtuse. Stamens 2, adnate to abaxial side of corolla tube near or above middle, included; anthers dorsifixed, coherent, thecae divaricate, confluent at apex, dehiscing longitudinally; connective not projecting; staminodes (absent or 1-)3, adnate to adaxial or adaxial and abaxial sides of corolla tube. Disc ringlike. Ovary linear, 1-loculed; placentas 2, parietal, projecting inward, seldom 2-loculed, abaxial locule sterile, or placenta 1, axile, projecting inward, 2-cleft. Stigma 1, abaxial, obtriangular to oblong, flabellate, obtrapeziform, or lamelliform, 2-lobed to undivided. Capsule straight, rarely oblique in relation to pedicel, linear to very narrowly ovoid, much surpassing calyx, dehiscing loculicidally to base, rarely only adaxial locule dehiscing; valves 2 or 4, straight, not twisted. Seeds unappendaged.
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