Nitrariaceae Lindl.

Annual or perennial herbs or prostrate to ascending shrubs, glabrous or pubescent; branches sometimes spinescent. Leaves alternate or clustered, rarely opposite (not in Australia), simple, entire or deeply and irregularly pinnatisect, fleshy or succulent, subsessile or petiolate (not in Australia); stipules minute to small, often caducous. Inflorescence terminal or leaf-opposed, in loose cymes or flowers solitary; small caducous bracts sometimes present. Flowers actinomorphic, bisexual or functionally unisexual, usually 5-merious. Sepals free or united at base, imbricate, entire, toothed or pinnatisect, persistent in fruit. Petals imbricate, white or yellowish (not in Australia), sometimes hooded. Stamens 15, rarely 10 or 4, inserted at the base of the short annular disc; anthers basifixed, 2-locular. Gynoecium of 2–4 (–6) fused carpels. Ovary superior, sessile, globose to oblong-pyramidal, sometimes deeply lobed; ovules 1–many per locule; style simple with (2–) 3 (–6) decurrent stigmatic lobes. Fruit a drupe, loculicidal capsule or berry (not in Australia). Seeds 1–many, with or without endosperm.