Polia Loureiro, nom. rej.

Herbs or subshrubs, annual or perennial. Stems erect or diffuse. Leaves opposite or falsely verticillate with axillary clusters of leaves, sessile or petiolate; leaf blade linear to obovate; stipules membranous or hyaline. Inflorescence a cyme, terminal. Flowers numerous, 5-merous. Sepals hyaline, midvein not raised. Petals usually small, entire or 2-lobed. Stamens (2--)5. Ovary 1-loculed with few to many ovules; style undivided at apex. Fruit a capsule, 3-valved, few to several seeded. Seeds reniform, slightly flat.

About 50 species: mostly in the Old World tropics and subtropics, a few in the New World tropics; two species in China.

(Authors: Lu Dequan; Michael G. Gilbert)