Dicrocaulon

Woody shrublets, cushion-forming or up to 500 mm high, often with markedly different long shoots and dense shorter shoots with narrow rings left by scars of past leaf pairs. Leaves papillate, of two types: first type of leaf pair united except for central aperture, small, forming a globose or elliptic body; second type arising from within aperture, oblong-terete, connate for half its length, base changing into a dry sheath. Flowers solitary, terminal, in position of a long leaf pair, i.e. base often enclosed by short leaf pair forming a cup; opening either in morning or at midday, remaining permanently open after a few days. Sepals 4 or 5, unequal. Petals free, filiform, vivid magenta or white, turning rosy pink. Stamens erect; staminodes present. Nectary a crested ring. Ovary: placentas parietal; stigmas (4)5(6-9), minute, subulate. Fruit a (4)5(6-9)-locular capsule, of Mitrophyllum type; flat with high rims on the valves; closing bodies 0; expanding sheets merging into prominent, contiguous expanding keels, with broad, membranous margins; covering membranes membranous. Seeds globose, light brown, shiny. x = 9 ( polyploidy). F lowering late winter to spring. D istinguishing characters: shrublets with two different kinds of leaf pairs and woody, hard, thin stems; resting leaf bodies inconspicuous.