Wellstediaceae

Abstract

Annual herbs, sometimes with basal rosette of large leaves, or more often subperennial to perennial shrublets; branches and leaves often more or less distichous and congested; stems lignified, strong taproot present; indumentum sericeous, of unicellular, densely scabrid trichomes, usually acroscopically appressed. Leaves alternate, exstipulate, shortly petiolate or subsessile, entire, linear to (ob)ovate-elliptical, narrowed at base, apex acute, acuminate or apiculate, indistinctly veined, sometimes primary vein visible below, rarely venation pinnate with ascending secondary veins. Inflorescences bracteose, of dense scorpioid monochasia or dichasia, rarely reduced to single flowers, morphologically terminal but overtopped by and sometimes partly fused with uppermost lateral shoot; when fused, flowers arranged in alternate rows on this shoot. Flowers erect, tetramerous, actinomorphic, bisexual, hypogynous; calyx divided nearly to base, calyx lobes equal, narrowly triangular to narrowly ovate or linear, pubescent or sericeous, slightly enlarging in fruit; corolla pink, white or yellowish, sympetalous, hypocrateriform with very short tube and half-erect to spreading lobes, tube inside with 4 protrusions often fused into a distinct rim, lobes triangular-ovate, margin entire or denticulate to erose; stamens 4, alternating with petal lobes, filaments equal, shorter or longer than anthers, anthers included or exserted; nectary unknown; ovary bicarpellate, style terminal with two very short stigmatic lobes. Fruit a bivalved capsule. Seeds one, rarely two, asymmetrically ovoid in lateral view, strongly laterally compressed, pubescent often with ring of longer hairs near funicular pole, exendospermous.