Annual or perennial herbs 5-60 cm high, erect, usually much branched; basal part of stem and young shoots puberulous or shortly hairy. Leaves 2-12 cm long, 0-5-1-5 mm broad, linear or linear-filiform, simple or 2-3-fid, often glaucous, puberulous or shortly hairy on the upper surface; each subtended by 2 minute, filiform, caducous stipules. Racemes lax, elongating in fruit. Pedicels glabrous or sparsely puberulous, in flower 0-8-1-2 cm long, erect; in fruit 1-2 cm long, spreading or recurved; with 2 minute bracts similar to the stipules. Sepals 3-8-5-5 mm long, 1-2-1-8 mm broad, narrowly oblong, semi-persistent; the outer 2 cucullate, someÂtimes thickened at the apex, with a memÂbranous margin; inner 2 saccate, with a broad membranous margin. Petals 6-8 • 8 mm long, 1 • 2-4 • 5 mm broad, mostly narrowly elliptic but sometimes obovate, clawed, subÂacute or rounded, without or with a small appendage. Filaments 3-4-4-1 mm and 4-4-5 mm long; the short ones mostly with an appendage, sometimes without; the long ones papillate or smooth. Anthers 1-5-2-5 mm long. Ovary linear-oblong
