Talinum

Shrubs or undershrubs with annual branches from a perennial base, often with fleshy tuberous roots. Leaves alternate, rarely subopposite or rosulate, succulent, terete, subterete or flat, linear to broadly elliptic, obovate, petiolate; stipules linear, setaceous, usually keeled, with membranous margin, usually caducous. Inflorescences terminal or axillary cymes, racemes, panicles, or rarely flowers solitary. Flowers bisexual. Sepals 2, narrowly ovate to broadly ovate, herbaceous, keeled, slightly hooded at apex, green, usually with membranous margin, deciduous or rarely subpersistent. Petals (4)5(-7), ovate, often faintly keeled at apex, free or connate at base, ephemeral. Stamens 10-30( -50), attached to base of petals, hypogynous; filaments usually connate at base. Ovary superior, 1-locular with 3 carpels; ovules 10-40, on free-central placenta; style cylindrical or 0, with 3 stigmatic lobes. Fruit a chartaceous capsule, 1-locular, many-seeded, ovoid to conical, shiny yellow, dehiscing by 3(6) +/- deciduous valves. Seeds reniform or lenticular, dark brown, black or greyish and laterally compressed or nearly globular, smooth or tuberculate, pitted or ridged, with distinct hilum, with a small aril near base; embryo annular. x= 12 ( polyploidy).