Species are perennial or rarely annual herbs, usually
glabrous stems, sometimes woody at base, from thin woody
rhizome.
Leaves decussate or alternate, with narrow base, and several
hydathodes on lower face along margins. The flowering branches are erect or descending, with dense
inflorescences exhibiting many flowered terminal
pleiochasia (several buds come out at the same time).
Flowers 4-7 parts, sepals usually unequal, petals free, usually spreading. The
fruits are follicles, usually spreading and
seeds costate-papillate (incompletely connate), but multipapillate in
Phedimus selskianus. When treated as
Phedimus sensu lato, i.e. including
Aizopsis, subgenus
Phedimus (
Phedimus sensu stricto) has creeping and rooting stems, flowers white, pink, red or purplish and
chromosome numbers x=5,6,7, while subgenus
Aizoon has annual shoots often woody at base, emerging from woody
rhizomes, flowers yellow, orange or reddish and x=8. ==Taxonomy==