Citation: L., Sp. Pl. 179 (1753).

Derivation: Greek hys, a hog; kyamos, a bean; alluding to the belief that it poisoned swine.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: None

Description:
Annual, biennial or perennial (outside S.Aust.) herbs, often viscid; leaves alternate, often lobed.

Flowers axillary in bracteate spikes or racemes; calyx campanulate-tubular, 5-toothed, accrescent; corolla broadly funnel-shaped, with 5 blunt lobes; stamens inserted near the base of the corolla and more or less exserted.

Fruit a capsule within the calyx, circumscissile; seeds reniform to orbicular. (Tutin et al. (1972) Flora Europaea 3:195).

Distribution:  About 20 species distributed from Europe and North Africa to Central Asia.

Biology: No text

Author: Not yet available