Siraitos Rafinesque, nom. rej.

Herbs perennial, often hermaphroditic or andropolygamous, sometimes gynodioecious, rarely androdioecious, with a short, stout rhizome, glabrous. Leaves basal, rosulate, petiolate, spatulate to ellipitic, evergreen, margin entire or minutely undulate. Scape arising from center of leaf rosette, erect, simple, with 3--30 small, bractlike leaves. Inflorescence a terminal spike, many flowered; bract absent. Flowers sessile, zygomorphic, small. Tepals free; upper 3 or 4 spatulate-linear to filiform; lower 2 or 3 much shorter or absent. Stamens 6, inserted at base of tepals, rather short; anthers basifixed, subcordate-ovate to subglobose, extrorse, with locules confluent or free. Ovary globose, 3-loculed; ovules 2 per locule. Styles 3, stigmatic adaxially. Fruit a capsule, ?septicidal. Seeds fusiform, winged at 1 end.

Four species: China, Japan, Korea; one species (endemic) in China.

(Authors: Chen Xinqi (陈心启 Chen Sing-chi); Minoru N. Tamura)