Citation: L., Sp. Pl. 347 (1753).

Derivation: Greek gauros, superb.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: None

Description:
Perennial herbs with a scarcely woody base producing a number of erect branches terminating in a branched inflorescence; leaves alternate, petiolate at the base, sessile above, serrate.

Inflorescence usually a much branched panicle with each spike with few to many flowers each in the axil of a deciduous scale-like bract; floral tube 0.3-0.6 cm long, with fine hairs inside, deciduous; sepals 4, usually incompletely separating and bent to one or two sides; petals 4, oblanceolate and acute, white tinged pink; stamens 8 in 2 whorls of different size, with a scale-like appendage at the base of each filament, with anthers dorsifixed, c. 5 mm long; ovary inferior, with 4 locules each with 1 ovule on an axile placenta; style about as long as to longer than the longer stamens, with a stigma 4-lobed from a basal disc.

Fruit 4-winged, dry, hard, indehiscent; seeds more or less obovoid, smooth, without hairs.

Distribution:  18 species from northern America, Mexico and the Argentine.

Biology: No text

Author: Not yet available