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Herbs or shrubs, usually with milky juice. Leaves alternate, seldom opposite, entire or toothed, rarely lobed or dissected; stipules wanting. Flowers hermaphrodite, rarely unisexual, regular or irregular. Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary; limb 4–6- usually 5-lobed. Corolla gamopetalous, epigynous, regular or irregular and split to the base at the back, 4–6-lobed; lobes valvate, often induplicate. Stamens as many as the corolla-lobes and alternate with them, epigynous or more rarely inserted on the tube of the corolla; anthers free or united into a tube. Ovary inferior, rarely semi-superior, 2–5-celled; style single; stigmatic lobes as many as cells to the ovary; ovules numerous, anatropous, placentas in the inner angles of the cells. Fruit a capsule or berry. Seeds numerous, small; albumen fleshy; embryo straight, axile; radicle next the hilum.

A tall erect leafy herb, often woody at the base. Leaves large, alternate, doubly serrate. Flowers large, in terminal racemes. Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary, limb 5-partite. Corolla oblique, curved, split to the base at the back, 2-lipped; upper lip of 2 linear acute lobes, lower of 3 oblong spreading ones. Stamens exserted; filaments pubescent, free for the greater part of their length; anthers cohering into a tube, pilose on the connective and at the