Avonia

Dwarf herbaceous perennials; aerial stems succulent, with closely packed leaves obscuring internodes; roots mostly thick, woody or caudiciform with simple or branching stems. Leaves alternate, often minute, less than twice as wide as thick; green leaves not or only slightly exposed, hidden beneath imbricate papery, often scarious scales, making shoots appear white. Inflorescences terminal. Flowers 1 or few at stem tips, surrounded by scaly bracts, on short pedicels, opening for a very short time only, sometimes cleistogamous, white or rarely pink or carmine. Sepals 2, shortly connate at base, subpersistent. Petals 5, free. Stamens 5-many, adnate to petals at base; filaments white; anthers yellow. Ovary superior; ovules many; style thread-like; stigma entire or 3-lobed. Fruit an elongated 3- or 4-valved capsule. Seeds many, winged or with minute blunt protuberances.