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Perennial, rarely annual herbs (in Mal.). Leaves alternate, petioled. Stipules free or adnate to petiole, persistent, often conspicuous, usually serrate or fimbriate. Leaves suborbicular to linear-lanceolate, the margin serrate to crenate or subentire, often glandular in indentations. Flowers bisexual, solitary, axillary, with a pair of bracteoles usually in the upper half of the peduncles. Sepals equal, entire to denticulate or fimbrio-dentate, prolonged into appendages below the point of their insertion, persistent. Corolla zygomorphic. Petals unequal, the lower saccate or spurred and usually broader than the others, the lateral pair smaller than the upper pair, the lateral petals often, the others more rarely, bearded inside. Androecium shorter than the petals; filaments connivent around the gynoecium; anthers 2-celled, subsessile, the 2 lower with appendages projecting into the spur; connective produced into an apical appendage. Gynoecium as long as the androecium or longer, the ovary glabrous or pubescent, with 3 placentas and ∞ ovules; style straight, curved or geniculate, filiform to conspicuously clavate, often lobed at apex; with the stigma terminal or anterior and subterminal. Fruit a 3-valved lo-culicidal capsule, subtended by dried-up calyx, globose to cylindrical or ellipsoidal, 4-16 mm long; valves boat-shaped, usually with thick rigid keels and thin sides so that on drying they contract and forcibly discharge the seeds, glabrous or pubescent. Seeds ∞, usually ellipsoidal, glabrous, with leathery testa, usually with terminal elaiosome.
Herbs perennial or biennial, rarely subshrubs, rhizomatous. Stem developed or absent, sometimes with creeping branches. Leaves simple, alternate or basal, margin entire, dentate, or dissected; stipules small or large, leaflike, free or ± adnate to petioles. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, solitary, often dimorphic (cleistogamous flowers later than chasmogamous ones); pedicels axillary, 2-bracteolate. Sepals slightly equal, usually basally auriculate. Petals unequal, anterior petal largest and basally spurred. Filaments free, very short; anthers free or mostly connivent into a sheath around ovary, 2 anterior ones with spurlike or wartlike and nectariferous appendages at base, these extending into anterior spur, connectives produced apically into conspicuous, membranous appendages. Ovary 3-carpelled, with many ovuled parietal placentae; styles nearly erect or usually ± curved downward, ± thickened or sometimes gradually tapering toward apex, entire or variously appendaged; style apex and stigma variously shaped. Capsule loculicidally and elastically 3-valved, valves carinate and abaxially thickened. Seeds globose-ovoid, arillate or not, usually smooth; endosperm abundant; embryo straight; cotyledons rather thick, plano-convex.
Herbs, annual or perennial, rarely suffrutices, often acaulescent. Leaves al-ternate, petiolate, the stipules sometimes foliaceous, persistent. Flowers axillary, usually solitary, zygomorphic, often dimorphous (cleistogamous flowers following chasmogamous ones); pedicels not articulated; sepals subequal, usually basally auricled; petals spreading, unequal, the anterior petal the largest and basally cal-carate; filaments very short, free; anthers free or mostly connivent into a sheath around the ovary, the 2 anterior ones with spur-like or wart-like, nectariferous ap-pendages at the base, these extending into the spur of the anterior petal, the con-nectives produced apically into conspicuous, membranous appendages; ovary with 3 oo-ovulate placentae; style almost erect or usually ? curved downwards,-+ thick-ened or sometimes gradually tapering towards the apex, entire or variously ap-pendaged, the style apex and stigma variously shaped. Capsules loculicidally and elastically 3-valvate, the valves carinate and dorsally thickened; seeds globose-ovoid, arillate or not, usually smooth; endosperm abundant; embryo straight; cotyledons rather thick, plano-convex.
Annual, biennial or perennial herbs, glabrous or pubescent, often stoloniferous. Leaves alternate, cauline or ±rosulate, petiolate; lamina suborbicular to lanceolate, serrate, crenate or subentire, the teeth glandular; stipules free or ±adnate to petiole, persistent. Flowers nodding, solitary on slender axillary flower-scapes consisting of peduncle and pedicel with a pair of bracteoles. Sepals entire or denticulate-fimbriate, produced into basal flattened appendages. Anterior petal spurred or saccate; lateral petals often bearded inside. Staminal filaments short or absent; anterior 2 anthers with basal appendages. Ovary glabrous or pubescent; style usually geniculate, sometimes straight; stigma clavate, lobed or truncate. Fruit a globose to ± cylindrical capsule, elastically dehiscent, glabrous or pubescent; valves 3, boat-shaped. Seeds 2 to many, glabrous, smooth or rugulose.
Herbs or rarely subshrubs. Leaves alternate, peiolate; stipules entire to variously toothed or lobed, sometimes foliaceous. Flowers solitary, axillary, zygomorphic; pedicels with a pair of small bracteoles, generally above the middle. Sepals ± equal, usually with a short basal appendage. Petals unequal, the lowermost (the lip) usually larger, sometimes equal to or smaller than the other petals and with a short or long basal spur directed backwards. Stamens with very short free filaments and free or slightly coherent anthers; connective-appendages entire, generally oblong or ovate; lower 2 anthers each with an appendage extending into the spur and which excretes nectar. Ovary generally with numerous ovules; style usually deflexed downwards and thickened towards the tip. Fruit a loculicidal capsule with 3 contractile valves. Seeds usually smooth, with or without an aril.
Sep usually with posterior auricles; pet somewhat unequal, the 2 lateral ones often bearded internally at the base, the lower one usually with a basal spur or sac and sometimes bearded at the throat; stamens 5, the 2 lowermost bearing appendages that extend into the spur of the lower pet; ours herbs with axillary or basal 1-fld peduncles bearing 2 small bracts near the middle. Most spp. produce normal petaliferous fls in spring, and very fertile cleistogamous fls in summer. All spp. with cyanic (rather than yellow) fls produce occasional white-fld forms. Hybrids between closely related spp. are common, and spp. 3–8 form an intergrading polyploid complex. 400, mainly N. Temp.
Herbs; lvs in a basal rosette and/or alternate on stems. Fls solitary, on bibracteate axillary peduncles, zygomorphic, ☿. Sepals with basal appendages. Petals unequal, the lower spurred. Stamens with apical appendages, the lower 2 spurred. Style straight or geniculate at base; stigma globose or beaked or capitate or 2-lobed. Capsule 3-valved, dehiscent.
Fls solitary; sepals prolonged into appendages; petals irregular, the lower us. spurred; anthers subsessile, 2 lower often spurred; connective broad, produced. Ovary with 3 placentae; ovules ∞; style swollen in upper part; capsule with 3 elastic valves. Subcosmopolitan genus of about 400 spp.
Stamens with very short free filaments; anthers free or slightly coherent, with a ± thick dorsal prolongation of the connective ("connective-appendage"), and the ventral anthers with two appendages which extend into the spur and secrete nectar ("spur-appendages").
Ovary with 3 placentas, each bearing numerous ovules; style usually bent downwards and ± thickened towards the apex, entire or with various appendages; stigma terminal, or apparently lateral when the style apex is reflexed.
Petals unequal, the anterior usually larger than the others with a basal spur of varying length, blue or purple to yellow or white but always yellow at the base.
Seeds globose-ovoid, usually smooth, with abundant endosperm and with or without a thickened aril.
Fruit a loculicidal capsule with 3 contractile valves keeled and thickened along the sutures.
Inflorescence almost always of single flowers in the leaf axils; pedicels not articulated.
Leaves alternate, petiolate, usually ± serrate; stipules sometimes foliaceous, persistent.
Sepals almost equal, usually with a basal appendage (± absent in V. abyssinica).
Herbs, rarely shrublets.
Flowers zygomorphic.
