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Annual, biennial or perennial, caulescent or (not in Australia) scapose herbs, or subshrubs, shrubs, or (not in Australia) small trees, usually tap-rooted, sometimes rhizomatous; sap bitter, often sticky. Stems leafy or (not in Australia) naked, simple or branching. Leaves simple, usually alternate, sometimes subopposite or (not in Australia) opposite or whorled, mostly 1–3 times pinnately or (not in Australia) palmately lobed or dissected, sometimes unlobed, exstipulate. Inflorescences axillary or terminal, unifloral or multifloral and cymiform or (not in Australia) racemose, paniculate, corymbiform, or umbelliform, usually bracteate. Flowers actinomorphic, bisexual, sometimes hypanthiate. Sepals 2 or 3, distinct or connate, usually obovate, caducous. Petals distinct, usually obovate, mostly twice as many as sepals, sometimes more or (not in Australia) absent, sometimes fugacious. Stamens usually many. Pistil 1, 2–18-carpellate; ovary superior, 1-or 2-locular; placentae 2 or more, parietal; style present or absent; stigmas or stigma lobes 2–many. Fruits capsular, linear to subglobose, 1-or 2-locular, sometimes incompletely multilocular by placental intrusion, dehiscence valvate, poricidal or (not in Australia) transverse. Seeds usually many, small, sometimes arillate.
Annual or perennial herbs, procumbent to erect, sometimes twining, sometimes tuberous. Leaves alternate, sometimes wholly basal, pinnately compound; lacking stipules. Inflorescences racemose or cymose. Flowers strongly zygomorphic to almost regular, bisexual, hypogynous. Sepals 2, often peltately attached, small, caducous, not enclosing the bud. Petals 4, in 2 series; outer series larger than the inner and often pouched (unpouched in Hypecoum and Pteridophyllum); inner pair variably united along one side (but remaining free in Hypecoum and Pteridophyllum). Stamens 6 in most genera, in two bundles of three, with filaments in each bundle connivent, the outer pair of anthers unilocular, inner anther bilocular; stamens 4 and distinct in Hypecoum and Pteridophyllum. Gynoecium of 2 fused carpels; ovary unilocular with parietal placentation; ovules 2–many, anatropous to campylotropous; stigmas 2, or 2–several-lobed. Fruit capsular, longitudinally dehiscent, or nut-like and indehiscent, or breaking transversely into 1-seeded segments. Seeds generally arillate with copious oily endosperm.
Annual, biennial or perennial herbs, rarely shrubs, and only 1 tree genus (Bocconia L.), with white, yellow or orange coloured latex. Leaves alternate or rarely whorled, exstipulate, entire to much divided (palmately, pinnately etc.). Flowers usually solitary, conspicuous and large, bisexual, regular, hypogynous. Sepals 2–3, imbricate, usually free or calyptrate, caducous. Petals (4–)6(–12), more rarely absent, imbricate, arranged in l–2(–3) whorls, crumpled in bud. Stamens free, usually numerous, spirally arranged, rarely 4 and cyclic ; anthers 2-celled with longitudinal dehiscence. Ovary superior, usually unilocular, more rarely with 2 to several locules ; ovules numerous ; placentation parietal. Stigmas opposite or alternate with placentas. Fruit usually a capsule dehiscing by valves or pores, rarely indehiscent. Seeds small, numerous, with minute embryo and copious, usually oily, endosperm
Herbs, annual, biennial, monocarpic perennial, perennial, or shrubby. Laticifers or elongated idioblasts present. Leaves alternate or in a basal rosette, rarely opposite or whorled, usually without stipules; leaf blade entire to compound. Inflorescences racemes, panicles, dichasia, pseudoumbels, or solitary flowers. Flowers actinomorphic, bisymmetric, or zygomorphic, always bisexual, usually 2-merous, rarely 3-or 4-merous. Calyx caducous, green or petaloid. Corolla choripetalous or quasi-sympetalous, very rarely absent. Anthers opening by slits. Ovary superior, syncarpous with 2 to several carpels; placentation parietal.
Annual, biennial, or perennial herbs with coloured juice, often glaucescent and prickly, or rarely shrubs or small trees; root usually a rhizome or tuber
Stamens numerous, rarely few, free, with filiform filaments; anthers mostly nearly as long as the filaments, 2-celled, dehiscing by longitudinal slits
Flowers hermaphrodite, actinomorphic, hypogynous or rarely perigynous, mostly solitary, fugacious and visited by pollen-eating insects
Ovary free, of 2 or more united carpels, 1-celled with parietal placentas, or several-celled by the placentas reaching to the middle
Annual, biennial or perennial herbs (rarely shrubby), usually with white or yellowish latex, with alternate, exstipulate leaves
Ovary syncarpous, 1-locular with parietal placentas (rarely multilocular or spuriously 2-locular) and numerous ovules
Sepals 2, rarely 3, green, falling off separately on the opening of the flower or united into a deciduous calyptra
Leaves exstipulate, alternate, rarely the floral leaves opposite or whorled, much divided, rarely entire
Petals showy, 4 or 6, rarely 8 or 12, free, imbricate and often crumpled in the bud, deciduous
Seeds small, with minute embryo in fleshy or oily endosperm
Perianth of calyx and corolla, or rarely the latter absent
Fruit usually a capsule dehiscing by valves or pores
Sepals 2–3, imbricate, free or calyptrate, caducous
Flowers actinomorphic, bisexual, usually hypogynous
Fruit a capsule, opening by valves or pores
Petals 4–6 (12) free, imbricate, fugacious
Seeds small, numerous; endosperm oily
Ovules numerous, rarely solitary
Stamens usually numerous
