Description:

• Herbs or suffrutices
• Leaves petiolate, entire
• Inflorescence axillary, umbel-like group of monochasial cymes; primary bracts foliaceous, secondary bracts linear-lanceolate or occasionally elliptic, tertiary bracts broadly obovate, elliptic, ovate or linear-lanceolate, quaternary bracts linear-lanceolate
• Calyx regular; tube shorter than lobes; lobes 5, linear-lanceolate
• Corolla 2-lipped, resupinate, hairy; lip in upper position 3-toothed or shortly 3-lobed, rugula indistinct; lip in lower position entire or emarginate; aestivation ascending; tube shorter than lobes, cylindric below, somewhat campanulate above
• Androecium: fertile stamens 2, arising in corolla throat, exserted; filaments linear, thinly hairy; anthers 2-thecous; thecae superposed, muticous; staminodes 0
• Pollen prolate, 3-colporate, with pseudocolpi; surface reticulate
• Disc cupular, with V-shaped slit, with 2 awns
• Gynoecium: ovary ellipsoid, with 2 ovules in each locule; style filiform, exserted; style branches 2, equal, cylindriform, longer than broad
• Capsule ovoid, stipitate, with elastic placental bases
• Seeds discoid; surface rough and tuberculate
• x = 13 (10, 12) (high polyploidy)

Nomenclature:

• Dicliptera Juss.
  • Jussieu: 267 (1807) name conserved
  • Balkwill et al.: 1 (1996)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global: Species ± 150, cosmopolitan in warm and tropical areas
• Southern Africa: Species 15, Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland, widespread in South Africa, mainly in northern and eastern provinces