Plants herbaceous, rarely shrubs, sometimes slightly succulent. Leaves opposite to alternate, stipules sometimes present, often scarious, prophylss well-developed; blades simple. Inflorescences cymose, sometimes umbellate, or an axillary flower cluster or solitary flower. Flowers radially symmetrc, usually bisexual; sepals 5, free; petals absent but staminodes often present and petaloid; stamens (3)-5-,many, free, alternating with the sepals when few, attached below the ovaries; ovaries auperior, with 1-5 united carpels; ovules 1-many per cell. Fruits usually a 3-5-celled capsule, occasionally indehiscent nutlets; seeds lenticular or reniform testa thin, often somewhat papillate; embryo curved.
The family Molluginaceae, as described here, includes 11 genera and about 90 species. It excludes Limeum which is now considered part of a separate family, the Limeaceae.
References
Gilbert, M.G (2003) Molluginaceae in M. Thulin (ed.), Flora of Somalia 1: 106-111.
Molluginaceae are herbs or subshrubs with pseudoverticillate leaves that often have scarious stipules, flowers that may be quite showy but which generally lack any corolline whorl, and seeds that lack an obviously long funicle.