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Erect, rhizomatous, perennial herbs. Lvs in basal rosettes and cauline; basal lvs lyrate to imparipinnate or pinnately 3-foliolate, often with a large terminal leaflet and several pairs of smaller lateral leaflets which may be rudimentary, usually serrate or crenate; cauline lvs entire to pinnate, usually decreasing upwards, sometimes much reduced; stipules usually adnate to petiole below. Infl. a lax, bracteate cyme or fls solitary. Fls 5-merous, ☿, small-to medium-sized, sometimes nodding. Hypanthium saucer-shaped to cylindric, sometimes with a central carpophore. Epicalyx segments usually < sepals. Sepals sometimes reflexed at fruiting. Petals spreading, white, yellow, pink or reddish orange. Stamens numerous. Ovary superior; carpels numerous; styles numerous; ovules 1 per carpel. Fr. a head of many achenes; styles long or short, hairy or glabrous, sometimes elongating at fruiting, sometimes only the basal hooked portion (rostrum) persistent.
Herbs perennial, rhizomatous, sometimes stoloniferous. Stipules adnate to and sheathing petiole; radical leaves pinnate or pseudopinnate; terminal leaflet largest; lateral leaflets often in alternating larger and smaller pairs; cauline leaves few, often 3-foliolate or bractlike. Flowers solitary or in corymbs, bisexual. Hypanthium turbinate or hemispheric. Sepals 5, valvate, persistent; epicalyx segments 5, small, alternate with sepals. Petals 5, yellow, white, or red, orbicular or obovate. Stamens numerous, crowded. Disk lining hypanthium, smooth or ribbed. Carpels numerous, borne on prominent, usually cylindric receptacle, free; ovule ascending; style filiform, jointed; stigma slightly recurved or hooked, minute. Achenes sessile or stipitate, small, hooked at apex of beak. Seed erect; testa membranous; cotyledons oblong. x = 7.
Hypanthium turbinate or hemispheric; sep commonly imbricate; bractlets linear to oblong, or wanting; pet elliptic to obovate; stamens 10–many; ovaries numerous on an elongate, cylindric receptacle; style filiform, elongate; achenes tipped by the long, persistent style; fibrous-rooted perennial herbs with variable foliage, the lower lvs pinnate, the middle smaller and commonly trifoliolate, the upper often simple; fls solitary to many in terminal corymbs; pet white to yellow, or suffused with pink or purple. (Sieversia) 50, mostly N. Hemisphere.
Fls paniculate to corymbose or solitary, perfect; calyx with 5 persistent lobes, us. alternating with 5 bractlets; stamens ∞; carpels ∞, style terminal, slender; achenes with persistent style, us. jointed towards tip. Herbs, us. sparingly branched, sts scapose only; lvs radical and cauline, or cauline lvs reduced to bracts, pinnate to lyrate-pinnate. About 60 spp., all but two of the N.Z. spp. endemic.
