Herbs biennial or rarely perennial. Trichomes unicellular, eglandular, simple, along with stalked multicellular, multiseriate ones. Stems erect, simple basally, branched above. Basal leaves petiolate, rosulate, pinnatisect or pinnatifid, rarely subentire. Cauline leaves shortly petiolate or sessile, not auriculate, pinnatisect, pinnatifid, dentate, or rarely entire. Racemes ebracteate, elongated considerably in fruit. Fruiting pedicels thickened, divaricate or ascending. Sepals oblong-linear, erect, base of lateral pair strongly saccate. Petals purple, lavender, or rarely brownish, much longer than sepals, crisped; blade linear, narrowly oblanceolate, or rarely obovate, apex rounded; claw distinct. Stamens 6, erect, strongly tetradynamous; filaments not dilated at base; anthers linear to linear-oblong. Nectar glands 2, lateral; median glands absent. Ovules 10-45 per ovary. Fruit dehiscent siliques, narrowly linear, latiseptate, sessile; valves with a prominent midvein and distinct lateral veins, torulose; replum flattened; septum complete; style conical; stigma linear, 2-lobed, lobes strongly decurrent, connate. Seeds uniseriate, narrowly winged, oblong, flattened; seed coat minutely reticulate, not mucilaginous when wetted; cotyledons accumbent.

Ten species: C and SW Asia; one species in China.