Citation: L., Sp. Pl. 87 (1753).

Derivation: After Guiseppe Monti, 1682-1760, Italian botanist, Professor of Botany and Director of the botanic garden, Bologna.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: None

Description:
Tufted annual or prostrate perennial herbs; stems ascending to erect or rhizomatous, to 30 cm long, sometimes rooting at the nodes; leaves opposite or alternate, sessile and stem-clasping, often succulent, entire, acute or obtuse, glabrous.

Inflorescence a few-flowered cyme; pedicels erect or recurved in fruit; bracts alternate, scarious, only one per inflorescence in M. fontana, sepals persistent; petals 5, united at the base to form a short tube; stamens 3 or 5; ovary superior, subglobose to obovoid, ovules 3; stigmas 3, on a style.

Capsule 3-valved, light-brown; seeds 3 or fewer, smooth to tuberculate.

Distribution:  About 15 species, predominantly North American, but throughout temperate regions of the world; 2 species native to Australia.

Biology: No text

Key to Species:

1. Plants prostrate with rhizomatous stems; leaves alternate; petals equal, basal tube complete; stamens 5	M. australasica 1.
1. Plants erect with ascending stems; leaves opposite; petals unequal, the basal tube split on one side; stamens 3, rarely 5	M. fontana 2.

Author: Not yet available