Habit: Shrub [to tree]; roots spreading, exposed at low tide.
Leaf: persistent, petioled; blade thick.
Inflorescence: axillary, terminal, head-like, < peduncle; bractlets 3, generally < calyx, outer 1 > inner 2.
Flower: calyx deeply 5-lobed; corolla 4-lobed, radial, rotate; stamens 4, attached at 1 level.
Fruit: ellipsoid to ovoid, often asymmetric, 1-chambered, generally indehiscent; stalk not flat.
Species In Genus: +- 8 species: temperate, subtropics worldwide, generally coastal marshes, lagoons.
Etymology: (Avicenna, Persian physician, philosopher, 980--1037)
Note: Placement in Acanthaceae s.l. fairly well established; sister group relationship with Thunbergioideae weakly supported (Schwarzbach & McDade 2002; Hilu et al. 2003).
Jepson eFlora Author: Thomas F. Daniel, Margriet Wetherwax & Dieter H. Wilken
Reference: Duke et al. 1998 Evolution 52:1612--1626
Unabridged Reference: Moran 1980 Madroño 27:143Index of California Plant Names (ICPN; linked via the Jepson Online Interchange)
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