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Annual, biennial or perennial herbs, sometimes with a caulorrhiza (woody rhizome or root stock), occasionally with small erect trunk, generally aromatic. Basal lvs often rosette-forming, long-petiolate, stipulate, palmately veined, lobed or compound, usually ovate to rounded or reniform. Cauline lvs similar to basal, with petiole becoming shorter, opposite near base, usually alternate above. Fls actinomorphic, single or paired, usually in cymose, bracteate, and pedunculate infls. Sepals 5, imbricate, spurless. Petals 5; claw prominent to almost 0. Fertile stamens usually 10, rarely 5 reduced to staminodes, free or nearly so, the outer antipetalous. Nectar glands 5. Ovary 5-lobed, usually with long style; ovules 2 per loculus. Fr. with long beak, the outer part of style separating into 5 long awns which generally remain attached to the mericarps, curving upwards but never twisted. Mericarps 1-seeded, sometimes releasing seed, lacking apical pits.
Herbs, annual, biennial, or perennial [rarely shrublets or shrubs]. Leaves simple, usually palmately divided or cleft, sometimes entire or pinnately lobed, petiolate. Basal leaves usually forming a rosette. Cauline leaves opposite or alternate. Inflorescence terminal or axillary, cymose, bracteate. Flowers usually paired or occasionally solitary, actinomorphic, rarely somewhat zygomorphic. Sepals 5, imbricate, apex obtuse to caudate. Petals 5, distinct, sometimes clawed, apex rounded, retuse, or emarginate. Stamens 10, in 2 whorls, outer ones opposite to petals, inner ones alternating with petals, all with anthers or very rarely (in G. pusillum) 5 reduced to staminodes. Nectaries usually 5 and alternate with petals, rarely (in G. sinense) united into a ring. Ovary 5-locular, with 2 superposed ovules per locule; style distinctly 5-cleft. Fruit a schizocarp, long beaked, splitting into 5 1-seeded mericarps.
Herbs with simple or branched basal stems ('rhizomes') from which arise ± short-lived flowering stems. Leaves opposite or sometimes alternate (but not in Malesia), palmately lobed. Flowers solitary or twinned. Stamens 10, all fertile (in Mal. spp.), free. Mericarps remaining attached to the rostrum after splitting by the curved (but not spiral) awn which is almost glabrous on the inner surface. Seeds reticulate, usually ejaculated from the separating mericarp through a ventral dehiscense line.
Fls paired to solitary, occ. several per peduncle, bracted, regular or nearly so, not spurred; stamens us. 10; seeds 1 per carpel. Dehiscence by carpels curling upward, remaining attached at apex. Herbs or subshrubs with us. palmately lobed, stipulate lvs. Widely distributed genus of some 300 spp.
