Annual herbs. Leaves alternate, entire, often narrow. Flowers ☿, terminal, in globular conical or cylindrical dense heads or short spikes, solitary in the axil of a bract, subtended by 2 bracteoles; bracts and bracteoles scarious; tepals free or at the base shortly connate, usually dimorphous, after anthesis indurated at the base or not, glabrous or clothed on the back with denticulate, often long hairs, inside glabrous or woolly. Stamens 5; filaments free or connate in short cup, with or without interposed, small, translucent pseudo-staminodes, all perfect or 1-2 sterile. Anthers 2-celled (4-locellate). Ovary sessile or shortly stalked, glabrous or hairy; ovule 1, pendent from basal erect long funicle; style central or slightly excentrical, long, thin; stigma capitate. Utricle enclosed by perianth, indehiscent. Seed vertical, sometimes arillate.
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