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Shrublets, shrubs, or herbs. Stems striate or reduced to a caudex. Leaves simple, alternate or basal, sessile or petiolate but petiole usually indistinct from blade; stipules absent; leaf blade entire or rarely pinnately lobed, with chalk glands on both surfaces. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, unbranched or branched, spicate, spicate-racemose, subcapitate, capitate, or paniculate, arranged into complanate spikes if branched, all composed of 1--10 or more cymules or helicoid cymes; cymules or helicoid cymes usually known as spikelets, 1--5-flowered; bracts 1 at base of each spikelet; bractlets 1 or 2 at base of each flower. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic, sessile or very shortly pedicellate. Calyx persistent, hypogynous, tubular to funnelform, 5-ribbed, 5-lobed. Corolla hypogynous, petals connate but sometimes only at base, lobes or segments 5 and twisted. Stamens opposite corolla lobes, hypogynous or inserted at corolla base; anthers 2-locular, dehiscing longitudinally. Pistil 1. Ovary superior, 1-locular. Styles 5, free or connate. Stigmas 5. Ovule 1, pendulous from a basal funicle. Capsules usually enclosed within calyx. Seeds 1 per capsule; embryo straight, surrounded by thin starchy endosperm.

Leaves in a basal rosette or alternate; stipules absent Herbs, undershrubs or climbers Calyx often ribbed, mostly membranous between the ribs Flowers hermaphrodite, actinomorphic, often in unilateral inflorescences or subumbellate; bracts often sheathing, dry and membranous Corolla gamopetalous, lobes imbricate, mostly persistent Fruit various Seed with or without endosperm, and with a straight embryo Ovary superior 1-celled; styles 5, free or connate Ovule 1, pendulous from a basal funicle Stamens 5, opposite the corolla-lobes; anthers 2-celled, opening lengthwise Disk absent Herbs, undershrubs or climbers Calyx often ribbed, mostly membranous between the ribs Flowers hermaphrodite, actinomorphic, often in unilateral inflorescences or subumbellate; bracts often sheathing, dry and membranous Corolla gamopetalous, lobes imbricate, mostly persistent Fruit various Seed with or without endosperm, and with a straight embryo Ovary superior 1-celled; styles 5, free or connate Ovule 1, pendulous from a basal funicle Stamens 5, opposite the corolla-lobes; anthers 2-celled, opening lengthwise Disk absent

Fls regular, perfect, hypogynous, pentamerous throughout; cal dry and ± scarious, persistent, the tube often conspicuously ribbed and with membranous intervals, the lobes often showy and somewhat petaloid; corolla sympetalous or seldom of essentially distinct, clawed pet, often persistent; stamens as many as and opposite the corolla-lobes (or pet); ovary unilocular, with a solitary basal ovule on a long funiculus; fr dry, indehiscent or circumscissile; mostly herbs or low shrubs with alternate (or all basal), simple, entire lvs, the herbage with characteristic scattered, often depressed chalk-glands; fls in panicles or racemes or cymose heads. 12/400.

Ovary superior, sessile or stalked, 1-locular; ovule 1, anatropous, pendulous from a basal funicle; styles 5, or style 1 with 5 stigma-lobes Fruit a dry 1-seeded capsule, often enclosed in the persistent calyx, indehiscent or dehiscing irregularly or by splitting in a complete ring near base, or operculate Perennial, rarely annual, herbs or small shrubs Leaves alternate or in basal rosettes, exstipulate Corolla actinomorphic, tubular or funnel-shaped with 5 lobes, or petals connate only at base Stamens 5, antipetalous, inserted at base of corolla; anthers dithecous, dehiscent longitudinally Flowers 1–several in usually 3-bracteate spikelets; spikelets grouped into spikes or compact heads Sepals united, tubular or funnel-shaped, 5-nerved, often 5-ribbed or 5-angled; limb sometimes membranous or scarious Endosperm abundant, scanty or absent Fruit a dry 1-seeded capsule, often enclosed in the persistent calyx, indehiscent or dehiscing irregularly or by splitting in a complete ring near base, or operculate Perennial, rarely annual, herbs or small shrubs Leaves alternate or in basal rosettes, exstipulate Corolla actinomorphic, tubular or funnel-shaped with 5 lobes, or petals connate only at base Stamens 5, antipetalous, inserted at base of corolla; anthers dithecous, dehiscent longitudinally Flowers 1–several in usually 3-bracteate spikelets; spikelets grouped into spikes or compact heads Sepals united, tubular or funnel-shaped, 5-nerved, often 5-ribbed or 5-angled; limb sometimes membranous or scarious Endosperm abundant, scanty or absent

SELECTED REFERENCES

Carlquist, S. and C. J. Biggs. 1996. Wood anatomy of Plumbaginaceae. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 123: 135-147. Lledó, M. D. et al. 1998. Systematics of Plumbaginaceae based upon cladistic analysis of rbcL sequence data. Syst. Bot. 23: 21-29. Luteyn, J. L. 1990. The Plumbaginaceae in the flora of the southeastern United States. Sida 14: 169-178.

Herbs or shrubs [lianas], perennial or, rarely, annual; taprooted or rhizomatous. Stems woody stocks, acaulescent, or erect to prostrate, nodes swollen; indument of simple hairs, capitate glands that may secrete water or calcium salts, or multicelled glandlike structures. Leaves often basal, alternate, spiralled; stipules absent; petiole present or absent; blade linear to broadly obovate, ovate, or round, margins entire or lobed. Inflorescences terminal or axillary cymes, panicles, racemes, or corymbs, or solitary heads; bracts herbaceous, scarious, sometimes absent; involucral bracteoles (epicalyces) immediately subtending calyces usually present. Pedicels absent or present (short). Flowers bisexual, radially symmetric; perianth and androecium hypogynous; sepals persistent in mature fruits, 5, connate into 5- or 10-ribbed tube, mostly dry and membranous, sometimes petaloid, toothed or with distinct simple or lobed limbs; petals 5, nearly distinct, connate at bases or for most of their length (corolla salverform); blade clawed or claw absent, margins entire; corona absent; stamens 5; filaments adnate to bases of petals or free; ovary superior, 1-locular, placentation basal; ovules 1 per ovary, anatropous, bitegmic, crassinucellate; styles 1 with apically lobed stigma, or 5, each with linear stigma. Fruits utricles, achenes, or capsules. Seeds 1, embryo straight, endosperm present or absent.

Bracts scarious Flowers 5–merous, bisexual, actinomorphic Petals free, slightly joined at base, or united to form long basal tube Stamens inserted at base of corolla, antipetalous Perennial, rarely annual, herbs or small shrubs Inflorescence various, often cymose Leaves exstipulate, alternate or in basal rosettes Fruit a dry 1–seeded capsule, often enclosed in the persistent calyx, indehiscent, or operculate, or dehiscing irregularly Styles 5, or 1 with 5 stigma–lobes Ovary superior, 1–celled with 1 anatropous ovule Seeds with abundant, scanty, or absent, mealy endosperm Flowers 5–merous, bisexual, actinomorphic Petals free, slightly joined at base, or united to form long basal tube Stamens inserted at base of corolla, antipetalous Perennial, rarely annual, herbs or small shrubs Inflorescence various, often cymose Leaves exstipulate, alternate or in basal rosettes Fruit a dry 1–seeded capsule, often enclosed in the persistent calyx, indehiscent, or operculate, or dehiscing irregularly Styles 5, or 1 with 5 stigma–lobes Ovary superior, 1–celled with 1 anatropous ovule Seeds with abundant, scanty, or absent, mealy endosperm