Annual or perennial herbs. Inflorescence paniculate or capitate. Bracts absent or present. Calyx tubular or campanulate, 5-toothed, with scarious spaces between the nerves. Petals 5, not bifid. Stamens 10. Styles 2. Coronal scales absent. Carpophore absent. Capsule dehiscing by 4 teeth. Seeds dorsiventrally compressed. Seeds peltate with facial hilum.
A genus of 25 species of calcareous or sandy habitats. Concentrated in Greece and Turkey. Represented in Pakistan by a single species.