Herbs, annual or perennial, or subshrubs, unarmed. Raphides present. Leaves opposite, sometimes clustered and appearing whorled, rosulate, or pseudoverticillate, isophyllous to anisophyllous, without domatia; stipules persistent to caducous, interpetiolar, triangular, entire to 2(-5)-lobed. Inflorescences terminal and/or pseudoaxillary, cymose to paniculiform with axes slender and dichasial or often scorpioid, several to many flowered, pedunculate, bracteate or bracts reduced. Flowers sessile to pedicellate, bisexual, usually if not always distylous. Calyx with ovary portion usually 5-ridged or-winged, limb 5-lobed. Corolla white, pink, purple, or red, campanulate, funnelform, urceolate, or tubular, inside usually pubescent in throat and with pubescent ring near middle; lobes 5, in bud valvate or induplicate-valvate, often winged or keeled dorsally, sometimes notably pinnatinerved. Stamens 5, inserted below middle of corolla tube and included in long-styled flowers, inserted in throat or middle of corolla tube and partially exserted in short-styled flowers; filaments short to developed; anthers dorsifixed. Ovary 2-celled, ovules numerous in each cell on peltate axile placentas attached to middle of septum; stigmas 2-lobed, included to shortly exserted in long-styled flowers, included and positioned near middle of corolla tube in short-styled flowers. Fruit capsular, subglobose, often 5-ridged to-winged, with apical portion prolonged into beak, dehiscing loculicidally and often also simultaneously or subsequently septicidal from top, dividing partially to completely into 2 or 4 valves with walls usually persistent, papery to stiff, with calyx limb persistent, sometimes elongating; seeds numerous, small, angled; testa reticulate or alveolate; embryo minute; endosperm fleshy.
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