Lisianthius P.Browne

Herbs, perennial, rarely annual, occasionally suffrutescent, usually erect, often branching; stems terete to angulate, often becoming canaliculate above. Leaves sessile to petiolate; the petioles often amplexicaul; the lamina narrowly ovate, elliptic to obovate, submembranous to coriaceous. Inflorescences terminal and often axillary near the branch ends, few-to many-flowered, a thyrse, simple or compound dichasia, pedunculate. Flowers 5-merous, often showy, generally yellow, usually pedicellate, rarely sessile; calyx campanulate, lobed or parted to near the base, the lobes long-acuminate, rarely acute, often carinate; corolla contorted in aestivation, infundibular to salverform, usually constricted near the base, the lobes spreading to erect, equal, rarely unequal; stamens inserted on the lower part of the corolla tube, often unequal, the filaments filiform, included to exserted, the anthers introrse, oblong, versatile, usually apiculate; ovary 1-locular, usually appearing 2-locular (the placentae intruding and connected basally in the center of the ovary), the style filiform, often persistent, the stigma subcapi-tate to capitate. Capsules surrounded by the persistent and the marcescent co-rolla, frequently fusiform, septicidally 2-valvate; seeds commonly tuberculate or muricate. Pollen grains in monads, radially symmetrical, isopolar, (suboblate-) subprolate to prolate, the amb ? circular, 3 microns, 3-colporate (rarely 4-colporate), the colpi relatively long with tapering, ? acute ends, the colpus membrane smooth or granulose, the ora rounded to lolongate, the diameter of apocolpia 7-15 microns; exine 3-5 microns thick; sexine thicker than nexine, reticulate, heterobrochate, the lumina 0.5-7 microns in diameter, usually angular, the muri 0.5-1 microns wide supported by one row of bacules, of a pilum-like shape with ? pointed apices; densely clustered axillary flowers and the insertion of the petioles ( X 5). [After D'Arcy 4010 (MO).]