Herbs perennial. Caudex often several branched, with persistent petiolar remains of previous years. Trichomes sessile, stellate, 4-8-rayed; rays simple and 1-3-forked. Stems erect, often simple. Basal leaves many, petiolate, rosulate, simple, entire, persistent. Cauline leaves few, sessile, attenuate, not auriculate, entire. Racemes several flowered, ebracteate. Fruiting pedicels divaricate. Sepals ovate or oblong, deciduous, ascending, pubescent, base of lateral pair saccate. Petals yellow or white, longer than sepals; blade obovate, deeply 2-fid. Stamens 6, erect, tetradynamous; filaments only slightly dilated at base; anthers narrowly oblong, obtuse at apex. Nectar glands 4, 1 on each side of lateral stamen; median glands absent. Ovules 6-14 per ovary. Fruit silicles, orbicular, broadly obovate, or broadly elliptic, strongly latiseptate, sessile or rarely on a gynophore to 1 mm; valves subleathery, obscurely or distinctly veined, glabrous or pubescent, flat or slightly inflated; replum slightly flattened, not winged; septum complete, membranous; style to 5 mm, filiform; stigma capitate, entire. Seeds biseriate, broadly winged, orbicular, ovate, or elliptic; seed coat smooth, not mucilaginous when wetted; cotyledons accumbent.

The lack in Galitzkya of simple and forked trichomes and staminal appendages, and the development of thick, branched caudices and saccate, lateral sepals clearly distinguish it from Berteroa. The latter genus has simple and forked trichomes, staminal appendages, and nonsaccate sepals.

Three species: W China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia; two species in China.