Annual branched herbs with basal branches often subspreading or ascending, ± canescent with short branched substellate hairs. Leaves oblanceolate or oblong-linear, stalked or sessile, sinuate-toothed to almost entire. Racemes often lax in fruit. Flowers minute or small, yellow, straw-coloured to dull-whitish; pedi¬cels usually short and stout. Sepals not saccate at base. Petals about as long to twice as long as the sepals, obovate, cuneate. Stamens 6; filmaent often broad at base but not appendaged; anthers minute, ovate, obtuse. Lateral nectar glands in pairs, minute, pyramidate; middle glands absent. Ovary erect, often oblong-terete, with or without horns developed at the apex, 4-8-ovuled; stigma short, sessile or subsessile (style somewhat distinct). Siliquae erect or curved, oblong-terete, straight or curved, bilocular, dehiscent (rarely indehiscent), with 4, usually conical horns (erect or recurved) near the apex; valves pubescent, usually heterotrichous, with a conspicuous mid-rib; septum membranous, not veined; seeds uniseriate, ovate, not winged, brown.

About 7 species in C. and W. Asia; 4 in our area.

Differs from Notoceras primarily by its 4-horned siliquae and different type of hairs.

Lower Taxa

• Tetracme contorta Boiss.
• Tetracme pamirica Vass.
• Tetracme secunda Boiss.
• Tetracme stocksii Boiss.

Related Synonym(s):

• Tetracme appressa Rech. f. = Tetracme pamirica Vass.
• Tetracme recurvata auct. non Bunge = Tetracme contorta Boiss.
• Tetracme recurvata var. integrifolia Gilli = Tetracme contorta Boiss.