Description
Annual herbs.
Leaves opposite or seemingly whorled by the presence of the leaves of underdeveloped lateral branchlets.
Flowers very small, sessile.
Stamens 4, declinate, the lower pair slightly longer, glabrous;
Distribution
Africa present, Asia-Tropical, Continental SE. Asia present
Uncertain in Africa, ? c. 130 spp. (see note), anyway c. 5-6 spp. in continental SE. Asia, of which 1 sp. in Malesia.
Notes
In the old circumscription the genus comprised some 130 spp. MORTON (l.c.) recently split it up, separating the African species, but ROBIJNS/. maintains that the segregated genera cannot satisfactorily be demarcated.
Citation
ROBIJNS f. 1966 – In: Bot. Notis.: 185
J. K. MORTON 1962 – In: J. Linn. Soc. Lond. Bot.: 239
HASSK. 1844: Cat. Hort. Bog.: 128
BTH. 1963 – In: Hutch. & Dalz., Fl. W. Trop. Afr., ed. 2, 2: 445
KENG 1969 – In: Gard. Bull. Sing.: 25
BRIQ. 1897 – In: E. & P., Nat. Pfl. Fam. 4: 365
