TABLE 4.

Comparison of morphological characters between Xerophyta and Acanthochlamys.

	Character	Xerophyta	Acanthochlamys
Anatomy
	Leaf	Leaf flat and V-shaped with a median adaxial groove; deciduous or rarely persistent	Leaves suberect, grooved on both surfaces
	Habit	Xerophytic Small to large perennial herbs or Shrubs	Xerophytic dwarf herb
	Flowers	Flowers Large (ca.4.5–7(-12) cm, Bisexual, actinomorphic	Flowers small (Ca. 1cm long), Bisexual, actinomorphic; pedicel very short; flowers mostly pink
	Placentation	Axile	Parietal placenta in upper part of the ovary and axile placenta at lower part
Perianth	Perianth above the Ovary, white, blue, mauve, or yellow in color	Perianth corona-like, red to purple
	Filaments	Filaments flattened, adnate to the tepals	Filaments merges tepals, nearly absent
	Stigma	Stigmas linear, erect.	stigma (2 or)3-lobed
	Root	Tufted roots	Rhizomes short, with tufted roots
	Stamen	Stamen 6	Stamen 6 or numerous
	Ovary	Inferior	Inferior
	Fruit	Capsule	Capsule, obliquely lanceolate, slightly 3-angled, beaked
	Nucellus	Axile placenta, placentae lobed spreading	Tenuinucellate, no nucellar
Embryology	Embryo sac	Polygonum type	Polygonum or Allium type
	Endosperm	Helobial	Nuclear
Chromosome Number		n = 24	2n = 38, n = 19
Geographic Distribution		Africa, Madagascar, Arabian Peninsula	W Sichuan and SE Tibet