sect. Tripentas (Casp.) N. Robson

Perennial herb with stems up to 0.4 m or longer, with simple hairs, with dark (reddish) glands on sepals only; branching below inflorescence lateral. Stems terete, eglandular; cortex not exfoliating; bark absent. Leaves opposite, decussate, sessile, free, persistent; lamina entire, with venation subpalmate to palmate, closed except for lowermost veins, with tertiary venation densely reticulate; laminar glands punctiform; marginal gland dots dense; ventral glands absent. Inflorescence 1-13-flowered, with branching dichasial (first node) then monochasial, from one node, without lower flowering branches; bracts and bracteoles reduced, transitional in form to sepals. Flowers pseudo-tubular, homostylous. Sepals 5, c. 0.3-0.5 united, persistent, erect in flower and fruit, with margin glandular-ciliate; veins 3(5); laminar glands pale, linear; marginal glands reddish, flat-topped. Petals 5, persistent and twisting together round developing capsule, without apiculus; marginal and laminar glands absent. Stamen fascicles 5, united 2+2+1 (i.e. '3'), persistent, totalling 12-13 stamens; filaments 0.6-0.7 united; anthers yellow, gland amber; pollen type IX; lodicules 3, scale-like, alternating with stamen fascicles. Ovary with 3 parietal placentae, each ∞-ovulate; styles 3, free, with bases discrete; stigmas narrowly capitate. Capsule 3-valved, chartaceous, with valves narrowly longitudinally vittate. Seeds narrowly cylindric to ellipsoid-cylindric, not carinate, without apical expansion; testa ribbed-scalariform.