Orthorrhiza Stapf
Annual herbs, branched mostly from below, erect or suberect with ascending branches, hairy with simple or bipartite hairs, ciliate to subappressed, sometimes almost glabrous. Basal leaves oblanceolate to subspathulate, sinuate-dentate to subentire, stalked; upper linear, entire. Racemes lax. Flowers white or pinkish; pedicels short, thickened in fruit. Sepals erect, inner saccate at base. Petals c. twice as long as the sepals, linear-oblong, clawed. Stamens 6; filaments not appendaged; anthers oblong, obtuse. Lateral nectar glands apparently semiannular; middle glands absent. Ovary linear, many ovuled; style conspicuous with long, conical, bilobed stigma with decurrent lobes. Siliquae dimorphic; upper ones usually compressed, linear, bilocular, dehiscent with membranous septum; lower often subcylindrical-terete, indehiscent but breaking transversely into parts; valves with a distinct mid-vein, hairy to glabrous; seeds narrowly winged or without wings, suborbicular.
Easily distinguished from Chorispora R. Br. ex DC. by its dimorphic, dehiscent and indehiscent fruits; sometimes only dehiscent fruits may be present.
Probably only 1 species in C. Asia, Turcomania, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
