Shrubs, glabrous or with minute simple hairs. Leaves alternate, sessile or shortly petiolate, fleshy, semiterete or narrowly oblong; black stipular excrescences often present. Inflorescences axillary or terminal, few–many-flowered cyme, cluster or raceme, or flowers solitary. Flowers 5-merous (4-merous in P. virgata). Sepals free, glabrous or pubescent. Petals imbricate (rarely valvate), free (united in lower half in P. tubiflora and P. coccinea), hairy or glabrous, uninerved. Stamens 10; filaments linear, free or united towards base, slender-terete towards apex; anthers minutely apiculate, either not glandular or 2–multi-glandular at apex (in sect. Erionema). Disc narrow (rarely broad). Carpels 5, free; style terete, divided at base where affixed to adaxial medial surface of carpels. Cocci usually shortly rostrate or apiculate. Seed reniform or ellipsoidal, 2–5 mm long; outer testa thin, transparent or hard; sclerotesta smooth or rugose.
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