Fls small, us. bracted, 5-(4) -merous, in cymose clusters; sepals mostly united at base; stamens alt. with corolla-lobes, inserted at throat. Corolla urceolate to campanulate; staminal filaments each with fringed scale at base; ovary 2-loculed, 2-ovuled; styles distinct. Capsule ± circumscissile, embryo filiform. Parasitic annual herbs with filiform twining stems attached to host by haustoria; lvs minute, scalelike. Widespread genus with over 160 spp.

Annual or perennial herbaceous rootless parasites with thread-like twining stems bearing haustoria and lacking chlorophyll or latex, often forming a dense mass on the host plant. Lvs reduced to minute scales. Infl. cymose, umbellate, capitate or spike-like. Fls small, white to pink or yellowish. Calyx (3)-4-5-lobed, occasionally with free sepals. Corolla (3)-4-5-lobed, usually urceolate, campanulate or ± globose; lobes imbricate. Stamens inserted in throat of corolla, with lobed or fimbriate scales between the stamens; anthers very short. Ovary 2-locular, sometimes incompletely so; each loculus with 2 ovules. Styles 2, free or connate. Fr. a globose or ovoid capsule, dry or ± fleshy, dehiscing transversely or by an irregular split, 1-4-seeded. Seeds glabrous, with filiform embryo surrounding the endosperm. Cotyledons rudimentary or 0.