Citation: Thunb., Nov. Gen. Pl. 3:55 (1783).

Derivation: Greek gonia, angle, corner; carpos, fruit; referring to the ribbed fruits.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: Raspworts.

Description:
Annual or perennial herbs 5-30 cm tall, glabrous, scabrous or pilose with simple hairs; leaves sessile or shortly petiolate, alternate or opposite, linear, lanceolate or ovate, entire or obliquely cuspidate-toothed.

Inflorescence an indeterminate spike of bisexual flowers borne singly in the axils of reduced leaves (bracts) and each with a pair of subtending bracteoles; flowers 4-merous on short pedicels; sepals 4, deltoid, lanceolate or cordate often with a prominent median basal callus; petals hooded, keeled, usually shortly clawed; stamens 4 or 8; anthers oblong, 4-locular, non-apiculate, on short filaments; styles clavate, stigmas capitate; ovary urceolate or ovoid, variously ribbed and ornamented, never winged, incompletely 4-locular, with 1 pendulous ovule per locule.

Fruit as for ovary, sepals persistent; seed 1, occupying the entire fruit. [Note: in species descriptions, fruit length excludes the persistent sepals].

Distribution:  41 species, widespread in Australia and New Zealand, with a few extending to New Guinea, Indonesia, Philippines, Japan and south-east Asia; 36 species in Australia, widespread and found in all but aquatic habitats, but most common in damp sclerophyll forest. (Orchard (1977) Bull. Auckland Inst. Mus. 10:164-260; Orchard (1977) Nuytsia 2:126-144; Orchard (1986) Nuytsia 5:327-339).

Biology: No text

Taxonomic notes: The vernacular name raspwort has been used inappropriately in the Australian literature even for glabrous soft species of Gonocarpus and Haloragis.

Key to Species:

1. Leaves alternate	G. elatus 2.
1. Leaves opposite at least below
2. Glabrous plants, usually creeping and rooting at the nodes	G. micranthus 5.
2. Scabrous or pilose plants, more or less erect and not rooting at the nodes
3. Fruits urceolate	G. confertifolius 1.
3. Fruits ovoid
4. Leaves ovate to cordate
5. Bracteoles with 3-7 teeth; leaves usually cordate to subcordate at the base	G. mezianus 4.
5. Bracteoles entire; leaves tapering to the base, sometimes abruptly	G. humilis 3.
4. Leaves lanceolate	G. tetragynus 6.

Author: Not yet available