Melochia L.

Herbs, undershrubs or shrubs, infrequently small trees, the pubescence of simple or stellate hairs, sometimes of gland-tipped hairs. Leaves alternate, simple, petiolate, stipulate, the stipules deciduous, the blade crenate or serrate, usually 5-nerved at the base. Inflorescences axillary or terminal, rarely oppositifolious, panic-uliform or of cymose clusters, the clusters sessile or pedunculate, forming some-times interrupted or continuous, leafy spikes. Flowers hermaphrodite, actinomor-phous, often heterostyled, sessile or pedicellate, generally bracteolate, the bracts persistent; calyx gamosepalous, 5(6)-lobate or-lobulate, persistent or sometimes accrescent; petals 5, unguiculate at the base, more or less long-adnate to the base of the staminal tube, contorted, marcescent; stamens 5, more or less long-monadel-phous, the anthers 2-thecate, the thecae parallel, extrorse, more or less medifixus, longitudinally dehiscent; staminodes none or infrequently obsolete; ovary sessile or sometimes shortly stipitate, 5-celled, the cells oppositipetalous, 2-ovulate; styles 5, free or connate at the base, the stigmas minutely tuberculate or plumose-papil-late. Capsules sessile or shortly stipitate, globose and 5-lobate or pyramidal and sometimes 5-winged, 5-celled, each cell 1-seeded, rarely 2-seeded, the dehiscence either loculicidal or septicidal, the capsule separating into 5 cocci, each coccus opening by the inner angle or splitting completely into 2 valves; seeds small, ascending, 3-angular, dorsally convex, rarely winged, albuminous; embryo straight; cotyledons flat.