Ermaniopsis H. Hara; Oreoblastus Suslova.

Herbs perennial, with a slender, rhizomelike caudex. Trichomes simple or mixed with short-stalked, forked ones. Stems simple, leafy or leafless, sometimes absent. Basal leaves petiolate, rosulate, simple, 3-9(-11)-toothed, rarely subentire, often palmately veined. Cauline leaves absent or similar to basal ones, entire or toothed, subsessile or petiolate. Racemes 3-30-flowered, bracteate or ebracteate, sometimes flowers solitary on pedicels originating from basal rosette. Sepals ovate or oblong, free or united, caducous or persistent, erect, base of lateral pair not saccate. Petals purple, purple-green, or rarely white, sometimes yellowish at base of blade; blade obovate or spatulate, apex obtuse or subemarginate; claw subequaling or longer than sepals. Stamens 6, tetradynamous; filaments wingless or rarely winged and toothed, dilated at base; anthers ovate or oblong, obtuse at apex. Nectar glands 2 and lateral, or confluent and subtending bases of all stamens; median glands present or absent. Ovules 10-70 per ovary. Fruit dehiscent siliques, linear or lanceolate, latiseptate, rectangular in cross section, sessile; valves papery, with a prominent midvein and distinct marginal veins, not torulose, apex persistently united with replum; replum rounded; septum complete, perforated, or reduced to a rim, translucent, or absent; style obsolete; stigma capitate, 2-lobed or rarely subentire. Seeds uniseriate or biseriate, wingless, oblong or ovate, often flattened; seed coat minutely reticulate, not mucilaginous when wetted; cotyledons accumbent.

Twelve species: Himalayas and adjacent C Asia; eight species (two endemic) in China.