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Herbs, annual or perennial. Roots thin [tuberous]. Leaves: blade sessile. Inflorescences terminal, terminal and axillary, or all axillary, thyrses to fascicles of 1-flowered cymes; spathaceous bracts absent; bracteoles persistent or caducous. Flowers bisexual or bisexual and staminate, radially or bilaterally symmetric; pedicels well developed; sepals distinct, subequal; petals distinct, white to purple or violet, rarely yellow, subequal, not clawed; stamens 2--3 fertile and antisepalous, 3--4 staminodial and antipetalous (if 4, then 1 antisepalous); filaments glabrous or bearded; antherodes usually 3-lobed; ovary 3-locular, ovules 1--many per locule, 1[--2]-seriate. Capsules 3-valved, 3-locular. Seeds 1--many per locule, 1[--2]-seriate; hilum punctiform to linear; embryotega abaxial to semilateral. x = 6, 7, 9, 10, 11.
Fls virtually regular, produced singly or in clusters from the axils of normal or somewhat reduced foliage lvs; stamens 3 + 3, regularly disposed, but only the antesepalous ones (or 2 of them) fertile, the others staminodial; ovary and fr trilocular; herbs with leafy stems, often freely branched. 50, trop.
