Annual, prostrate herbs with dorsiventrally compressed, ascendingly branched stems. Leaves small, crenate-dentate or lobulate, asymmetric. Flowers tiny, disposited between the leaves or bracts, neither axillary nor opposed to them, tetramerous. Corolla white, with cylindric tube and diminute lobes. Stamens: anthers broad, included in the corolla, on 4 short filaments attached to about the middle of the corolla tube. Ovary glandular villose, pyramidate; styles terminal, 2, united at base, with tiny stigmas at the apex. Fruit rostrate, dividing into two 2-seeded halves first, later halves again divided into single-seeded nutlets; ventral side of nutlets with a sharp angle, dorsal side with corky, vesicular mesocarp; endocarp thick with strong ridges and protuberances.
Procumbent herb with slender branched stems, often with adventitious roots. Leaves alternate, small, numerous, crenate, subsessile or petiolate. Flowers solitary, extra-axillary, 4-merous. Calyx deeply lobed. Corolla small; tube cylindrical, the throat naked; lobes spreading. Stamens 4, inserted in the tube, included. Ovary 2-locular, each locule with 2 ovules or with 4, 1-ovuled locules; styles 2, terminal, partly joined at the base; stigmas scarcely differentiated. Fruits dry, ovoid-conic, 4-lobed, eventually dividing into 4, 1-seeded nutlets, joined amongst themselves or attached to a central prolongation of the receptacle. Seeds ovoid.
Fruit dry or slightly succulent, ± ovoid-pyramidal, 4-lobed, usually separating into 4, 1-seeded nutlets.
Flowers 4-merous, solitary, extra-axillary, the upper ones in leafy spicate branches.
Leaves alternate, usually numerous, crenate or lobate, subsessile or petiolate.
Stamens inserted below the middle of the corolla tube, included.
Styles 2, slightly united below, terminal; stigmas punctate.
Ovary 4-celled with 1 ovule pendulous in each cell.
Herbs with usually procumbent branched stems.
Corolla actinomorphic, small, naked.
Calyx deeply lobed.
Nectary absent.
Seeds ovoid.