Fls 5-merous; cal deeply divided; cor subrotate, of 5 separate pet; stamens mostly 10, the slender filaments longer than the pet, the minute, subglobose anthers opening longitudinally; ovary 2-3(-5)-locular; style about equaling the filaments; stigma not expanded; capsule ovoid, septicidal, subtended by the persistent cal; low, freely branched shrubs with small, leathery, persistent lvs and numerous white or pinkish fls from the axils of the crowded upper lvs, forming an umbelliform cluster. Monospecific.
Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.
