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Dwarf shrubs or herbs. Leaves opposite, entire. Flowers ☿, interminal or axillary heads or narrow spikes, solitary in the axil of a bract, subtended by 2 bracteoles. Tepals 5, free, narrow, strongly longitudinally plurinerved, membranous, after an-thesis indurate or not. Stamens 5, filaments ± unequal, at the base connate in a short cup; anthers small, 2-celled (4-locellate); no pseudo-staminodes. Ovary ellipsoid or globose; ovule 1, pendulous from a long erect funicle; style thin; stigma capitate. Fruit enclosed by the perianth, thin-walled, indehiscent; seed erect, lenticular.
Herbs or shrubs. Stem pubescent, lanose, or glabrous. Leaves opposite, petiolate. Flowers perfect, arranged in terminal or axillary heads or spikes, flower solitary in axil of a bract, subtended by 2 bracteoles. Tepals 5, erect, membranous, becoming rigid or not after anthesis. Stamens 5; filaments unequal, united to a short cup at base, pseudostaminodes absent or very small; anthers 2-loculed. Ovary ellipsoid or globose; ovule 1, pendulous; style slender; stigma capitate or 2-lobed. Utricles enclosed in perianth, ellipsoid, indehiscent. Seed erect, lenticular, smooth.
Tepals 5, free, strongly to faintly nerved or ribbed (nerves 3 or more), the outer 2 tepals frequently finally more or less indurate at the base, usually differing in form and indumentum from the inner 2 with the middle tepal intermediate.
Flowers hermaphrodite, in axillary and terminal bracteolate heads or spikes, solitary in the axil of each bract and bibracteolate; bracts persistent, finally spreading or deflexed, bracteoles falling with the fruit.
Stamens 5, shortly monadelphous at the base, without or rarely with alternating pseudostaminodes; anthers bilocular.
Perennial herbs or subshrubs, prostrate to erect or scandent, with entire, opposite or partly alternate leaves.
Ovary with a single pendulous ovule; style slender but rather short, stigma capitate.
Utricle thin-walled, bursting irregularly.
Seed ovoid, brownish.
