Apatesia

Annual herbs with decumbent branches, the initial rosette developing into a rich, dichasial inflorescence. Leaves flat to slightly channelled, strictly decussate with petiole dilated below and sheathing; epidermis covered with wax flakes. Flowers solitary on long pedicels; open in daylight hours. Sepals 5, united slightly beyond union with ovary into a saucer-shaped limb, unequal, narrowly spatulate from a broad base, inner ones with broad, membranous margins, longest one often longer than petals. Petals 4- or 5-seriate, free, widely spreading, arising from saucer-shaped limb of calyx, their margins ciliate; yellow. Stamens and staminodes many, from saucer-shaped limb of calyx, inner filaments bearded at base. Nectary a flat ring with emarginate rim. Ovary flat on top and sunk below rim of calyx; placentas parietal; stigmas 8-12, stout, 2 mm long. Fruit a 8-12-locular capsule, shallow, slightly convex beneath; valves horizontally spreading when expanded, narrowly deltoid; expanding keels +/- half as long as valve and subcontiguous into a central keel, very small covering membranes present; A. sabulosa has valves with a narrow membranous rim (valve wings 0 in the other 2 species); complete seed-pockets present at base. Seeds globose, smooth. x = 9. F lowering in early summer. D istinguishing characters: annual herbs with flat, stalked leaves; pedicels long; seeds many, a few developing in seed-pockets (paraspermy); flowers yellow.