Flowers axiallry or pseudo-terminal, solitary or in few-flowered,peduncled, (usually)

abbreviate racemes or cymes, rarely pseudo-umbellate,zygomorphic,jantan,

resupinate;sepals 3 or 5, imbricte; the posterior (lowest) 1) large, saccate, mostly
calcarate; spur back wardly directed, tubular, nectari-ferous; 2 lateral sepals free or
connate; petals 5, upper one free, the other ones free or pairwise connate; 2 lowest
sometimes united with each other; stamens 5; filaments short, widened towards the
apex, free or connate; anthers connate or coherent into a tubular body covering the
stigmas like a hood; cells longitudinally dehiscent, introrse, or opening by an apical
pore 2); ovary, 4-5 celled;cells 2- ovuled; ovules pn axile placenta; style very short;
stigmas 1-5; disk absent; fruit either a fleshy, explosively dehiscent 4-5 valved
capsule, with elastically coiling valves, ejaculating the seeds and sometimes the
valves too, or (hydrocera) drupaceous; seeds exalate; endosperm lacking; embryo
straight. Leaves spirally arranged, opposite, verticillate or pseudo verticillate,
simple, mostly with (superficially) incised margins; stipules (? Stipuloids) minute or
absent. Unarmed, mostly juicy, terrestrial, occasionally aquatic or epiphytic herbs or
small shrubs, without milky latex.