Greek scleros—hard, anthos—flower.
Annual or perennial herbs. Leaves opposite, narrowly pointed or linear, swollen and shortly fused at the base. Flowers solitary, small, in pairs or, more often in branched clusters. Sepals (4-)5 fused at the base to form a persistent rim. Petals absent. Stamens 1-10. Styles 2; mostly spring. Fruit a 1-seeded pear-shaped nutlet.
About 12 species in temperate northern and southern hemispheres (Eurasia) including Australia, often alpine.
Source: (1997). Caryophyllaceae. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 2. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 1. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.