水棘针属 shui ji zhen shu

Herbs annual. Stems erect. Leaves petiolate; leaf blade palmatipartite, margin rarely entire. Panicles terminal; floral leaves similar to stem leaves, reduced; bracteoles linear. Calyx campanulate, 10-veined, veins conspicuous; teeth 5, subregular, enlarged in fruit. Corolla tube included or slightly exserted, not hairy annulate inside, 2-lipped; upper lip 2-lobed, lobes similar to lateral lobes of lower lip; lower lip slightly larger, 3-lobed, middle lobe subcircular. Stamens 4, anterior 2 fertile, involute in bud, elongate after anthesis, exserted from sinus of upper lip, posterior 2 reduced to staminodes, minute, or almost absent; anthers 2-celled, cells divaricate, longitudinally dehiscent, apically confluent. Style unequally 2-cleft, posterior lobe short or inconspicuous. Nutlets obovoid triquetrous.

A monotypic genus: Asia.

Lower Taxon

• Amethystea caerulea Linnaeus