Bijlia

Dwarf perennials branched from base into clumps, mostly with 2 or 3 branches only. Leaves opposite, somewhat unequal, gibbous-trigonous with a +/- rounded oblique keel, one side +/- flat, the other inflated, but both sides often indented; spreading and often pushed aside by old fruit capsules situated at centre of plant; surface smooth, glaucous, whitish, stomata +/- superficial, outer epidermis wall very thick. Flowers 1-3, shortly pedicellate, bracteate; opening at noon, closing at night. Sepals 5, subequal. Petals 2-seriate, free, cuneately linear, yellow. Stamens collected in a column, epapillate. Nectary of 5 separate glands. Ovary slightly conical above; placentas parietal; stigmas 5, filiform. Fruit a 5-locular capsule; valves erect in expanded capsule; valve rims broad; close to Mitrophyllum type with well-developed hood-shaped closing bodies and short +/- tangential expanding keels gradually merging into expanding sheets; covering membranes present, slightly stiff, with acute depressions between ridges. Seeds acutely ovoid, several per locule. x = 9 (1 report). F lowering in autumn. D istinguishing characters: perennials with boat-shaped, unequal, light green to yellowish white leaves; flowers large, yellow; fruit persistent.