Description :

• Annual herbs; stems leafy, pubescence always patent, hairs gland-tipped
• Leaves opposite below, alternate above, rarely rosulate, mostly linear to oblanceolate, sometimes spathulate or elliptical, rarely ovate, entire or few-toothed, usually glandular-pubescent, rarely glabrous
• Flowers in racemes, sometimes congested, always erect
• Bracts not sharply differentiated from leaves, adnate to pedicel and calyx, only anterior lobes and sometimes uppermost part of tube free
• Calyx tubular, (4)5-lobed, bilabiate, membranous, slightly accrescent; lobes often shallow or shorter than sinus between lips; rarely anterior lip entire
• Corolla tubular, usually bilabiate, rarely regular; membranous, persistent; tube glabrous or pubescent outside; posterior lip usually 2-lobed, exterior in bud; anterior lip usually 3-lobed; lobes entire, often ± equal, throat usually with orange/yellow patch at base of posterior lip or all round mouth and there either bearded with clavate hairs or sometimes glabrous
• Stamens 4, ± didynamous, sometimes reduced to 2, or 3, or 1 in chasmogamous flowers, arising in throat of corolla tube; anterior pair exceeding posterior pair; either all exserted or anterior pair well exserted, posterior pair just visible in mouth; posterior filaments decurrent down tube in most species; anthers synthecate, dorsifixed
• Nectary adnate to base of ovary on shorter side
• Ovary bilocular, elliptical, glandular-puberulous on upper part; ovules few to many per locule; style filiform, passing gradually into lingulate stigma with two marginal bands of stigmatic papillae, exserted
• Fruit a septicidal capsule with a short loculicidal split at top of each valve, glandular-puberulous at apex
• Seeds 4-40 per locule, usually strongly, sometimes weakly, 3-winged or 3-angled; buff-coloured; testa delicate, translucent, loosely enveloping endosperm
• x = 7 (1 report)

Nomenclature:

• Polycarena Benth.
  • Bentham: 371 (1836)
  • Bentham: 350 (1846)
  • Hiern: 321 (1904) in part
  • Hilliard & Burtt: 161 (1977) excl. P. capillaris (L.f.) Benth.
  • Hilliard: 395 (1994)

Distribution & Notes:

• Southern Africa : Species 17, W Northern Cape (only 4 species ranging north of Vanrhynsdorp, 1 to Richtersveld) and Western Cape, mostly in south, west of Laingsburg, 1 eastward to Oudtshoorn