Annual, biennial or perennial herbs. Stems erect or partially decumbent, rarely climbing, usually thickened at the joints. Leaves opposite or in opposite clusters, flat or terete, simple entire, bases often more or less united; exstipulate or stipulate, stipules scarious. Flowers actinomorphic, usually bisexual, rarely unisexual, usually pentamerous, hypogynous. Inflorescence simple or paniculate cymes, rarely flowers solitary. Sepals 4 or 5, free or united, persistent, sometimes bracteate below the calyx. Petals as many as sepals, usually clawed, sometimes very small or absent. Stamens free, rarely adnate to sepals, twice as many as the petals, rarely 5 or fewer. Pistil 1, carpels 2-5, syncarpous; ovary superior, 1-locular or basally imperfectly 2-5 locular, placentation free central, ovules few or numerous, rarely one basal; styles (1 or) 2-5, linear, sometimes united at the base; ovary, stamens and petals sometimes borne on a carpophore or ovary only on gynophore. Fruit usually a capsule, pericarp crustaceous, scarious or papery, 1-celled (or 3-5 celled near base), opening at top in as many or twice as many teeth or valves as there are styles; rarely fruit fleshy and berry-like, indehiscent breaking irregularly (Cucubalus). Seeds small, usually many, rarely only 1 or 2 attached to a central column, globose to pyriform or reniform.

102 genera and about 2600 species

Arenaria serpyllifolia

Dianthus barbatus

Dianthus chinensis

Silene conoidea

Spergula fallax

Stellaria media