M. Thulin (1993) Zygophyllaceae. Zygophyllum 1: 183-184
Plants dwarf shrubs or subshrubs, to 50 cm tall, spreading; young parts greyish, cobwebby tomentose. Leaves petiolate, with 2 leaflets; petioles oblong, fleshy, usually longer than the leaflets; stipules membranous, triangular; leaflets narrowly elliptic to obovate, fleshy, up to 10 mm long. Flowers axillary, solitary; sepals ovate-oblong, 4-6 mm long; petals white with obovate blades, longer than the sepals; filament scales ovate-oblong, acute; ovaries tomentose; styles about 1 mm long. Capsules obconical, 5-10 mm long, 4-7 mm wide, 5-angled and prominently 5-lobed in the upper portion.
Tetraena alba grows on the coastal plains, on rocky areas, sometimes on gypsum, at up to 900m. It is known from regions N1, N2, and C2 of the Flora of Somalia.