Fls perfect, regular, 5-merous, solitary or in cymes, hypog. Sepals us. imbricate; petals contorted; stamens 10 (sts 5 imperfect) connate at base. Ovary us. 5-celled; ovules axile, 1-(; styles us. 5. Fr. a loculicidal capsule; seeds with cop. endosperm and us. elastic testa. Mostly herbs or subshrubs with alt., compound, exstipulate lvs. Some 8 tropical to temperate genera with about 900 spp.

Herbs, usually perennial, often bulbous, occasionally shrubs. Lvs alternate or radical, palmately or, less often, pinnately compound, often 3-foliolate, sometimes 1-foliolate, nyctinastic, generally stipulate, occasionally phyllodinous and lacking lvs with lamina, sometimes with glandular calli (callus deposits). Fls usually in cymes or solitary, sometimes in racemes, 5-merous, actinomorphic, ☿, sometimes distylous or tristylous, sometimes with minute apetalous fls in addition to fls of normal size. Sepals free or united, imbricate, often with apical, ± orange calli. Petals free or shortly connate at base, contorted in bud, rarely imbricate. Stamens usually 10, in 2 whorls, very rarely 15, the outer whorl opposite petals and sometimes connate below, sometimes 5 staminodal. Ovary usually (3)-5-celled, occasionally carpels free. Styles (3)-5, usually free. Placentation axile with 1-many ovules in each cell. Fr. a loculicidal capsule. Seeds often with elastic, sculptured testa; endosperm fleshy, abundant; embryo straight.