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Stamens 6; anthers shorter than the slender filaments, oblong, extrorsely attached above the base, but the line of dehiscence of the closely contiguous parallel cells lateral or slightly introrse.

Filaments linear, inserted on the very base, the introrse anthers linear or oblong, fixed by the base, apparently 1-celled.

Aquatic or marsh herbs, stemless or short-stemmed, with a tuft of fibrous roots, a cluster of linear and often loosely cellular grass-like leaves, and naked scapes sheathed at the base, bearing dense heads of monœcious or rarely diœcious small 2–3-merous flowers, each in the axil of a scarious bract; the perianth double or rarely simple, chaffy; anthers introrse; the fruit a 2–3-celled 2–3-seeded capsule; seeds pendulous, orthotropous; embryo at the apex of mealy albumen.—Chiefly tropical plants, a few in northern temperate regions.

Herbs, with fibrous roots, usually equitant leaves, and perfect 3–6-androus regular flowers, which are woolly or scurfy outside; the tube of the 6-lobed perianth coherent with the whole surface, or with merely the lower part, of the 3-celled ovary.—Anthers introrse.

Anthers linear, extrorsely attached near the middle to the tapering apex of the long filament, which is at first included, at length versatile; the cells dehiscent by a lateral or slightly introrse line.