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Herbs, mostly perennial, sometimes annual or biennial, slender to very robust, glabrous to coarsely pubescent. Leaves alternate, simple, pinnately-nerved, entire, the basal ones long-petiolate. Inflorescences racemes or irregular panicles, scor-pioid, the bracts mostly not apparent. Flowers perfect, actinomorphic; calyx of 5 sepals, ? connate basally, enlarging somewhat in fruit; corolla salverform, funnelform, or ? campanulate, blue, violet, or reddish, 5-lobed, the lobes + spreading, 5 faucal appendages generally well-developed; stamens 5, included or barely exserted at the corolla throat, subsessile or the filaments very short, the anthers oblong; ovary 4-lobed, distinctly so, the gynobase disc-like, the style gynobasic, the stigma 1 and ? capitate. Fruits 4 nutlets, spreading at maturity, adnate apically to the gynobase, the scar not extending below the middle on the ventral side, the surface covered with stout, glochidiate spines.
Perennial, biennial or rarely annual usually very hairy herbs or subshrubby herbs. Leaves alternate, the radical ones long-petiolate, the cauline ones sessile or shortly petiolate. Cymes terminal or axillary, generally ebracteate, scorpioid, lengthening considerably in fruit. Flowers white or blue, pedicellate or subsessile; calyx persistent with 5 spreading or reflexed lobes, slightly accrescent. Corolla cylindric-rotate or funnel-shaped with 5 broadly ovate imbricate spreading obtuse lobes; throat closed by ± squarish or crescent-shaped appendages. Stamens 5, included, inserted at the base or towards the apex of the tube. Ovary distinctly 4-lobed, adhering to the central stylar column by a part of the internal face only of each lobe; style gynobasic; disc sometimes distinct and lobulate. Nutlets 4, depressed-ovoid, usually densely echinulate with glochidiate spines or smooth in part, sometimes the apical beak cohering with the style.
Herbs perennial or biennial, rarely annual. Leaves usually basal and stem, entire; basal and lower stem leaves usually long petiolate. Cymes terminal or axillary, crowded or often dichotomously branched spreading panicles, bracteate or ebracteate. Flowers pedicellate. Calyx 5-parted to base, enlarged in fruit; lobes reflexed or spreading. Corolla usually blue, rarely white, dark purplish red, blackish purple or yellow-green, campanulate, tubular or funnelform, 5-parted; tube ± shorter than calyx; throat appendages 5, ± square, trapeziform or lunate, depressed at apex; lobes ovate to orbicular. Stamens included, inserted at middle or above in corolla tube; anthers ovoid or oblong. Style filiform, terete or somewhat tetragonous; stigma capitate, not exserted; ovary 4-parted; ovule anatropous. Gynobase fastigiate to conical. Nutlets 4, ovoid to subglobose, with glochids, attachment scar subapical.
Annual, biennial or perennial herbs; hairs various. Basal lvs often long-petiolate; cauline lvs short-petiolate or sessile, often amplexicaul. Infl. usually paniculate, composed of ebracteate cymes. Calyx deeply lobed, often to the base, persistent and often enlarged at fruiting. Corolla tube short, cylindric or funnelform; lobes ± patent, broad; scales 5, closing throat. Stamens included, inserted at or above middle of tube. Style included, < calyx. Nutlets ovoid to subglobose, glochidiate, sometimes with distinct margin or disc, slightly concave to convex on outer surface.
Cor salverform or broadly funnelform, the short tube closed by the fornices; stamens included; nutlets bearing conspicuous, stout, glochidiate prickles, attached to the gynobase near their connivent summits, their rounded bases divergent; gynobase prolonged beyond the nutlets into a conspicuous persistent subulate organ; taprooted, ± robust, leafy herbs, the fls pedicellate in axillary and terminal bractless false racemes. 80, cosmop.
Fruit of 4 nutlets; nutlets glochidiate, depressed, with the outer surface flat, slightly concave or convex, the inner surface with the attach cicatrice near the apex, cohering with style or free.
Ovary of 4 separate lobes, attached to the gynobase only by a little part of the inner surface; style usually shorter than the calyx; stigma terminal, capitate or subcapitate.
Corolla tube short, cylindrical or infundibuliform, closed with 5 scales (fornices) at the throat; lobes 5, imbricate.
Leaves alternate, the basal ones long petiolate, the cauline ones shortly petiolate or sessile.
Stamens included; filaments very short; anthers ovate, elliptic or oblong, obtuse.
Inflorescence of scorpioid cymes, ebracteate or bracteate to the base.
Calyx 5-lobed, not or but a little accrescent.
Annual, biennial or perennial herbs.
Flowers hermaphrodite, pedicellate.
Gynobase conical.
