Pandiaka

Annual or perennial herbs with slender to tuberous rootstocks. Leaves opposite, entire, sessile or petiolate. Inflorescence spicate to capitate, lateral and terminal, elongating later or not; bracts 2, usually more than half as long as flowers, acute or +/- spinescent, persistent, spreading or rarely deflexed. Flowers bisexual, solitary in axils of bracts; bracteoles 2, +/- half as long as perianth or more, midrib excurrent in a short, glabrous and pungent, flexuose and pilose arista, lamina firm, chartaceous or horny. Tepals 5, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, feebly to strongly 1-3(5)-nerved, with straight white hairs or glabrescent, concrescent at base, +/- mucronate to aristate with excurrent nerve, falling with ripe seed, accompanied by bracteoles or not. Stamens 5; filaments filiform, monadelphous below, alternating with mostly quadrate dentate or fimbriate pseudostaminodes; anthers 2-thecous. Ovary ovoid, glabrous; ovule solitary, on basal funicle; style linear; stigma small, capitate. Capsule oblong-obovoid, with a narrower firm apex, thin-walled, indehiscent. Seed oblong-ovoid, brown, shining, faintly reticulate.