Alyssum dasycarpum var. minus Bornmüller ex T. R. Dudley; A. dasycarpum var. pterospermum Bordzilowski; Psilonema dasycarpum (Stephan ex Willdenow) C. A. Meyer.

Herbs annual, (3-)5-25(-35) cm tall, canescent, with appressed, sessile, 8-14-rayed stellate trichomes, these mixed with longer, simple and forked ones on pedicels, sepals, and fruit. Stems erect, ascending, or decumbent, often several from the base. Cauline leaves subsessile or lowermost attenuate to petiolelike base to 5 mm; leaf blade spatulate, obovate, or oblong-oblanceolate, (0.5-)0.8-2.5(-4) cm × (2-)4-10(-15) mm, gradually smaller upward, base attenuate, apex acute. Fruiting pedicels erect or ascending, (1-)1.3-1.8(-2) mm, subappressed to rachis, stout, straight, covered with stellate trichomes mixed with fewer, simple and forked ones. Sepals lanceolate, 2-3 × 0.8-1.3 mm, persistent till fruit maturity, pubescent as pedicels. Petals pale yellow, spatulate, 2.5-3.5(-3.8) × 0.6-1 mm, glabrous, often persistent, base attenuate, apex deeply emarginate. Filaments 2-2.5 mm, slender, neither appendaged nor toothed; anthers ovate, 0.3-0.4 mm. Ovules 2 per locule. Fruit orbicular or orbicular-elliptic, 2.4-3.5(-4) mm in diam., apex rounded or truncate; valves not veined, uniformly inflated except for a narrow flattened margins, with stellate trichomes mixed with longer, simple and forked ones; style (1-)1.5-2 mm, much broader at base, pilose and stellate at least along proximal half. Seeds usually 2 per locule, ovate, 1.1-1.3 × 0.8-1 mm, slightly compressed, usually not margined. Fl. and fr. Mar-Jun. 2n = 16.

Valleys, steppe, fields; 100-2600 m. Xinjiang [Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; SW Asia].