Description :

• Annual, biennial, or perennial herbs, erect or procumbent; stems frequently 4-angled or -winged, glabrous, papillose-puberulous, or scabrid along angles
• Leaves opposite, radical or cauline, well developed or reduced, linear-lanceolate to suborbicular, often sessile and cordate at base
• Flowers borne in 1-many-flowered cymes; cymes solitary or arranged in corymbs
• Calyx 4- or 5(6)-segmented or shortly tubular; segments lanceolate to ovate or obovate, frequently with thin, hyaline margin, entire or ± erose, keeled or winged, sometimes papillose, bristly or scabrid along keels or wings
• Corolla 4- or 5(6)-lobed, yellow, cream or white; tube cylindric or funnel-shaped, long or short; lobes spreading, contorted in aestivation, frequently clawed
• Stamens 4 or 5; filaments short or long, arising in corolla sinuses or in tube; anthers included in corolla tube or exserted, with 0-3 minute or conspicuous glands
• Ovary 2-locular with many axile ovules, ovoid, obovoid, or almost globose; style filiform, included or exserted, often with additional stigmatic swellings which are free from or confluent with stigma; stigma capitate, clavate, or long-linear, 2-lobed or entire
• Capsule septicidally 2-valved, ovoid or obovoid, membranous or coriaceous
• Seeds ridged or frilled

Nomenclature:

• Sebaea Sol. ex R.Br.
  • Brown: 451 (1810)
  • Hill & Prain: 1057 (1909)
  • Marais & Verdoorn: 172 (1963)
  • Hilliard & Burtt: 277 (1982)
  • Hilliard & Burtt: 304 (1983)
  • Paiva & Nogueira: 10 (1990)
• Lagenias E.Mey
  • Meyer.: 186 (1837)
• Belmontia E.Mey.
  • Meyer: 183 (1837)
• Exochaenium Griseb.
  • Grisebach: 55 (1845)
  • Hill & Prain: 1093 (1909)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global : Species ± 159, mainly Africa and Madagascar, 1 extending to India and China, 2 in Australia and New Zealand
• Southern Africa : Species 53, widespread in temperate habitats, Namibia, Botswana, Northern Province, North-West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Swaziland, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Northern and Eastern Cape