Herbs annual, with fibrous roots. Stem unbranched, erect or procumbent, 2-50 cm, not forming tubers below ground, pubescent with short, glandular hairs. Leaves cauline, alternate, sparse; stipule absent or reduced and hairlike; petiole 5-10 mm, flattened or narrowed, glabrous; leaf blade simple, light green or red, narrowly linear, 2-12 cm × 1-3 mm, pubescent or glabrous, apex acute. Inflorescence axillary or leaf opposed, 6-50 cm, glandular; raceme 1-30-flowered; peduncle to 12 cm; bracts linear, 6-8 mm; pedicels 0.6-1.5 cm. Sepals 5, united near base, yellowish green, lanceolate to narrowly oblong, 3-5 × 1-2 mm, glandular, margin entire. Petals white, light red, orange, or reddish violet, obovate to oblanceolate, 5-10 × 3-4 mm, veined. Stamens 5, 3-5 mm, papillose. Ovary terete, obovate, or subglobose, 1-2 mm; placentas 3; styles 3, deeply 2-parted nearly to base, usually incurved; stigma simple, 2-3 mm. Capsule globose-obovoid, 3-valved, 4-6 mm. Seeds black, small; venation thick and scrobiculate. Fl. and fr. all year. 2n = 28*.

Source: [
• 12
]. 

The commonest species in W. Africa.

Source: [
• 1
]. 

Flowers pink, mauve or white

Source: [
• 1
]. 

Stamens 5, filaments 3–4 mm. long.

Source: [
• 10
]. 

Ovary subglobose, glabrous; styles 3, 2-partite to the base.

Source: [
• 10
]. 

Seeds 0·4–0·5 x 0·3 mm., black, ovoid, apiculate; testa with longitudinal and transverse ridges.

Source: [
• 10
]. 

Annual herb, caulescent, stem 3–50 cm., glandular-pubescent, foliose.

Source: [
• 10
]. 

Peduncles lateral, usually extra-axillary, 0·5–15 cm. long, glandular-pubescent.

Source: [
• 10
]. 

Leaves alternate; lamina 1–10 x 0·05–0·3 cm., linear, glandular; petioles 0·1–1·5 cm. long, glandular-pubescent; stipules absent.

Source: [
• 10
]. 

Sepals 5, 3–5 x l–1·5 mm., ± lanceolate, glandular-pubescent.

Source: [
• 10
]. 

Inflorescence 3–20-flowered; pedicels 0·3–2 cm. long, glandular-pubescent.

Source: [
• 10
]. 

Petals 5, 6–8 x 3–6 mm., obovate, pink to purple.

Source: [
• 10
]. 

Sepals 5, ± lanceolate, 3–5 mm. long, 1.0–1.5 mm. broad, glandular-pubescent.

Source: [
• 11
]. 

Caulescent annual.

Source: [
• 11
]. 

Peduncles lateral, usually extra-axillary, 5–150 mm. long, glandular-pubescent; inflorescence 3–20-flowered; pedicels 3–20 mm. long, glandular-pubescent.

Source: [
• 11
]. 

Stipules absent.

Source: [
• 11
]. 

Leaves spirally arranged; blade linear, 10–100 mm. long, 0.5–3 mm. broad, glandular; petiole 1–15 mm. long, glandular-pubescent.

Source: [
• 11
]. 

Stem 3–50 cm. long, glandular-pubescent, leafy.

Source: [
• 11
]. 

Seeds ovoid, apiculate, 0.4–0.5 mm. long, 0.3 mm. broad; testa reticulate with longitudinal and transverse ridges.

Source: [
• 11
]. 

Ovary subglobose; styles 3, bifid nearly to the base.

Source: [
• 11
]. 

Fig. 1/11.

Source: [
• 11
]. 

Stamens 5, 3–4 mm. long.

Source: [
• 11
]. 

Petals 5, obovate, 6–8 mm. long, 3–6 mm. broad, pink to purple.

Source: [
• 11
]. 

Tige de longueur variable, atteignant jusqu'à 12 cm de long, sub-arrondie, finement canaliculée longitudinalement, assez densément couverte de courts poils glanduleux dressés.' Feuilles' éparses, alternes, à partie basale formant le pétiole à peine distinct, atteignant 8 mm de long, se caractérisant par l'absence de tentacules glanduleux et couvert uniquement de très courts poils glanduleux ou subglabre; limbe étroitement linéaire, longuement acuminé au sommet, atteignant 32 mm de long et 1 mm de large, glabre à la face inférieure; stipules absentes.' Cymes' à 8-15 fleurs assez écartées les unes des autres; pédoncule souvent extra-axillaire, ascendant, atteignant 50 mm de long, courtement pubescent-glanduleux, à partie basale stérile, de ± 10 mm de long; bractées linéaires, spatulées, à sommet souvent découpé en quelques petites dents irrégulières, de 2,5 mm de long, portant quelques rares poils glanduleux; pédicelle dressé, atteignant 7 mm de long, courtement pubescent-glanduleux.' Fleurs' à sépales lancéolés ou étroitement oblongs, obtus au sommet, de 4,5-5 mm de long et de 1,5-2 mm de large, pubescents-glanduleux extérieurement, avec une nervure médiane portant des ramifications latérales; pétales obovales, à base cunéée, de 7,5 mm de long et de 2,5-3 mm de large, roses, finement nervillés; étamines de 5 mm de long à filet légèrement élargi sous l'anthère et à la base et portant une nervure médiane foncée; ovaire ovoïde, de 2,5-3 mm de long et de 2 mm de large; styles 3, bipartits à partir de la base, branches ascendantes, atteignant 2,5 mm de long.' Graines nom-breuses, courtement appendiculées à la base, scrobiculées, noires.

Source: [
• 13
]. 

A slender, delicate, caulescent annual herb. Leaves linear, laxly arranged on stems. Inflorescence up to 150 mm long. Flowers mauve.

Source: [
• 14
]. 

Slender annual, delicate, caulescent herbs forming a few roots. Stems thin, erect or matted. Leaves cauline apetiolate, exstipulate, with circinnate vernation, patent, erect, reflexed with age; lamina linear to filiform, 2-10 cm long, 0.5-3 mm broad, apex long acuminate, margins densely studded with long tentacles bearing knob-shaped glands, these absent near the base. Inflorescences several to a stem, axillary, patent-recurved, with 3-20 flowers on upper side, scape short, rhachis elongating during flowering and fruiting, up to 15 cm long; bracts appressed to the rhachis, small; pedicels up to 2 cm in fruit; flowers small. Calyx-lobes 2.5 mm long. Petals cuneate-obovate c. 6 mm long, pink to mauve. Stamens with thin filiform filaments. Styles divided from the base, with dilated, erect, stigmatic apices. Capsule broadly oblong, 2 mm in diam., seeds globose-ellipsoid, 0.4 mm, coarsely reticulate, black, apiculate. Flowering during the summer months.

Source: [
• 15
]. 

Plante caractéristique des mares temporaires sur dalles rocheuses, con-stituant un élément typique de la végétation des Sporoboletalia.

Source: [
• 13
]. 

Grassland, vleis.

Source: [
• 14
]. 

Found in low-lying swamps or in seasonal bogs; at times becoming a weed in disturbed wet ground.

Source: [
• 15
]. 

Régions tropicales et subtropicales de l'ancien continent; Australie

Source: [
• 13
]. 

Recorded only once from the Kruger National Park and once from northern South West Africa. Widespread and often common in tropical Africa, the Malagasy Republic, Asia and Australia.

Source: [
• 15
].