Hymenogyne

Annual herbs of tufted habit when young, later branching prostrately. Leaves opposite, radical or clustered at ends of prostrate or decumbent branches, flat, petiolate, sheathing at base, not connate; tannin idioblasts in epidermis (only case known in family), surface covered with wax flakes. Flowers mostly solitary, on elongate, erect pedicels becoming prostrate in fruit; opening in afternoon and closing at night. Sepals 5. Petals free or nearly so, ivory to yellow, fading to orange, epapillate. Stamens epapillate; staminodes 0. Nectary an inconspicuous, faintly crenulate ring. Ovary basin-shaped with a depressed top, with a mushroom-shaped structure in the centre, formed by connate stigmas, with 8 -12 papilla-like stigmatic surfaces on top; placentas axile. Fruit a schizocarpic capsule, 8 -12-locular; without opening devices but breaking up into flat, circular, broadly winged, 1-seeded units (clausae); dispersal anemochoric. x = 9. F lowering from spring to early summer. D istinguishing characters: annual herbs with flat leaves; flowers solitary, petals ivory to yellow, fading to reddish with age, stigmas forming a central column; fruit schizocarpic.