General: Perennial herb from a fleshy underground stolon, in the fall producing short above or below ground stolons with fleshy pink or white scales, ending in leafy rosettes; stems erect, slender, (5) 20-60 cm tall, round, often reddish, nearly glabrous or with sparse short curved hairs.
Leaves: Mostly opposite or occasionally in whorls of 3, egg-shaped to lanceolate, 4-7 cm long, 1.5-3 cm wide, tips pointed, bases rounded, nearly glabrous but hairy on margins and veins, margins sharply and irregularly toothed; stalks to 6 mm long.
Flowers: Inflorescence a terminal leafy raceme, somewhat drooping in young buds; petals longer than wide, 8-10 mm long, pale rose, deeply notched; sepals 5-6.5 mm long, somewhat pointed, often reddish; stigmas of 4 short lobes, not rolled under, exceeded by longest stamens.
Fruits: Capsules, 4-8 cm long, downy-hairy, with short, curved hairs; seeds 1-1.2 mm long, narrowly egg-shaped, blunt at base, reddish-brown, densely pimpled.
If more than one illustration is
available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two
subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below.
Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
