Citation: L., Syst. Nal. edn 10:1091, 1118, 1374 (1759) including Morgania R. Br., Prod. Fl. Nov. Holl. 441 (1810).

Derivation: Stemodia from the Greek stemon, stamen; dis, double; alluding to the 2 anther cells separated by 1540-1576, the 2-fid connective. Morgania after the apothecary to Queen Elizabeth I, Hugh Morgan, fl. who established private botanic gardens and introduced several new plants to England.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: None

Description:
Annual or perennial herbs or subshrubs, gland-dotted; leaves opposite or in whorls of 3 or 4.

Flowers in racemes, spikes or ?thyrses; bracteoles 2, borne at the top of the pedicel, appressed to the calyx; sepals 5, free; corolla 2-lipped, with the upper lip 2-lobed, recurved, the lower lip 3-lobed; stamens 4, in pairs of unequal length, the anthers in each pair joined, with 2 separate stipitate cells; stigma with 2 broad flaps.

Capsule septicidal, leaving remnants of septum attached to the 2-4 valves and the central column free.

Distribution:  Over 40 species centred in the tropical Americas; tropical and arid Australia form a secondary centre with 20 species.

Biology: No text

Taxonomic notes: The characters used to distinguish Morgania and Stemodia in the past were misconstrued. The Australian species largely form a homogeneous group; unless new characters can be found to distinguish them from the South American species, they will be combined under the name Stemodia.

Key to Species:

1. Leaves and branches glabrous but sometimes for minute aculeate eglandular hairs; leaves narrow-cuneate
2. Flowers 2 or 3 in axils of bracts (single in young parts of the inflorescence); pedicels and sepals more or less glabrous, the pedicels 0.2-0.4 rarely 1 cm long; corolla 4-7 mm long along the upper side	M. floribunda 1.
2. Flowers solitary in bract axils; pedicels and sepals densely minutely eglandular-aculeate, the pedicels 0.8-2.5 cm long; corolla 6-12 mm long along the upper side	M. glabra 2.
1. Leaves and branches conspicuously glandular hairy; leaves more or less auriculate, particularly at the base of the plant	S. viscosa 3.

Author: Not yet available