Description:

• Subshrubs, scabrous, covered with brittle hairs armed with minute recurved barbs
• Leaves alternate, petiolate, slightly or deeply lobed; stipules 0
• Inflorescence a scorpioid, bracteate cyme
• Flowers bisexual, regular
• Calyx: tube obconic, 10-ribbed, adnate to ovary, densely villous; lobes 5, equal, longer than tube, oblong-spathulate, persistent, enlarged in fruit
• Petals 4 or 5, free, arising in throat of calyx tube, induplicate-valvate, shorter than calyx tube, concave, hairy without
• Nectary scales 5, petaloid, cucullate, alternating with petals
• Stamens many, inserted with the petals, some of outer stamens with a hairy scale at base and with or without anthers; filaments linear, all or mostly beaded; anthers 2-thecous, opening by longitudinal slits
• Ovary inferior, 2- or 3-locular, with 1 or rarely 2 apical pendulous ovules in each locule; portion of ovary projecting above calyx tube flattened and densely villous; style simple, somewhat angled; stigma simple
• Fruit woody, ribbed, 2- or 3-locular, 1-3-seeded, indehiscent, crowned with enlarged calyx lobes, densely villous
• Seed compressed; cotyledons flat, thick, fleshy, oblong; endosperm 0
• x = 12

Nomenclature:

• Loasaceae
  • Harvey: 502 (1862)
  • Codd: 134 (1976)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global: Genera 15, species ± 260; 14 genera and all but 2 species are natives of tropical and South America, the remaining genus, Kissenia, in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula
• Southern Africa: Genus 1, species 1

References:

• CODD, L.E. 1976. Loasaceae. Flora of southern Africa 22
• HARVEY, W.H. 1862. Loasaceae. Flora capensis 2

Resources:

• Loasaceae genus: Kissenia