Microtea Sw., Prodr. [O.P.Swartz]: 53 (1788).

Sukhorukov, Alexander P., Sennikov, Alexander N., Nilova, Maya V., Mazei, Yuri, Kushunina, Maria, Marchioretto, Maria Salete & Hanacek, Pavel, 2019, Evolutionary relationships and taxonomy of Microtea (Microteaceae), a basal lineage in the core Caryophyllales, PhytoKeys 115, pp. 1-50 : 11-12

Gen. Microtea Sw., Prodr. [O.P.Swartz]: 53 (1788).

Microtea debilis Sw. (type species)

Schollera Rohr, Skr. Naturhist.-Selsk. 2: 210 (1792), nom. illegit., non Roth (1788).

Microtea subgen. Schollera (Rohr) H.Walter, Pflanzenr. (Engler) 39: 127 (1909), nom. inval. (Art. 22.2). Type species: M. debilis Sw. Note: Vahl (1792) established that a new generic name, Schollera was based on the plant that he considered conspecific with Microtea debilis . The type of Schollera Rohr is therefore that of Microtea debilis ( Turland et al. 2018: Art. 10.2).

Ancistrocarpus Kunth, Nov. Gen. Sp. [quarto] 2: 186 (1817). Type species: A. maypurensis Kunth (≡ Microtea maypurensis (Kunth) G.Don).

Potamophila Schrank, Pl. Rar. Hort. Monac. 2: tab. 63 (1821) nom. illegit., non R.Br. (1810). Type species: P. parviflora Schrank (= Microtea maypurensis (Kunth) G.Don).

Ceratococca Willd. ex Roem. & Schult., Syst. Veg., ed. 15, 6: LXX (1820). Type species: C. maypurensis Humb. & Bonpl. ex Roem. & Schult. (= Microtea maypurensis (Kunth) G.Don).

Aphananthe Link, Enum. Hort. Berol. Alt. 1: 383 (1821), nom. rej. Type species: A. celosioides (Spreng.) Link (≡ Microtea celosioides (Spreng.) Moq. ex Sennikov & Sukhor.). Note: The generic name Aphananthe Link is rejected in favour of its later homonym, Aphananthe Planch. ( Cannabaceae ).

Description of the genus.

Annuals, perennial herbs, rarely dwarf subshrubs; stems angulate, glabrous or papillate; leaves alternate, sessile or pedunculate, entire, filiform to ovate or obovate, cuneate or truncate, apically mostly acuminate, a persistent leaf rosette usually present, cauline leaves resembling the rosulate leaves or much shorter; inflorescence a spike or thyrsoid; pedicel inconspicuous or up to 3 mm long; flowers actinomorphic, bisexual, subtended by a hyaline bract and two similar bracteoles, sometimes bracteoles absent; perianth of (4)5 glabrous segments or lobes, green, white or yellowish; stamens (4)5 in alternisepalous position, or 6-8 (in both antesepalous and alternisepalous positions), anthers 0.15-0.30 mm, introrse, thecae globose, pollen grains pantoporate; ovary roundish; style not present or very short, stigmas 2-5; fruit nut-like, single-seeded, dry; pericarp projections (if present) not evident in flowering condition, pericarp at fruiting stage reticulate, mostly having finger-shaped outgrowths (emergences) that can be plumose (with additional smaller hair-like projections) or hooked at their apices; seeds spherical, black, with rugose or alveolate surface, with annular embryo located vertically and abundant perisperm.

Ten species distributed in the (sub)tropics of the Americas; two - M. debilis and M. maypurensis - are considered as aliens in the humid tropics of Africa (Cameroon) and Asia (Indonesia), respectively.