Caryophyllaceae
Fls in simple to compound cymes, or solitary; us. perfect, hypog. or perig.; sepals 4-5, free or joined below; petals as many as sepals, often small or absent, free, often bifid or emarginate; stamens up to 10, anthers dehiscing longitudinally; ovary one-celled, at least in upper part, ovules 1-∞ on basal or free-central placenta, embryo us. curved; fr. us. a dry capsule opening by teeth or valves. Annual to perennial herbs; lvs us. simple, entire, opp., often connate, or with scarious stipules. About 80 genera and 1400 spp. Cosmopolitan, with most spp. in temperate regions.
