Sisymbrium korolkowii Regel & Schmalhausen, Trudy Imp. S.-Peterburgsk. Bot. Sada 5: 240. 1877; Dichasianthus korolkowii (Regel & Schmalhausen) Soják; Malcolmia mongolica Maximowicz; Neotorularia korolkowii var. longicarpa (Z. X. An) Z. X. An; N. rosulifolia (K. C. Kuan & Z. X. An) Z. X. An; N. sulphurea (Korshinsky) Ikonnikov; Sisymbrium mongolicum (Maximowicz) Maximowicz; S. sulphureum Korshinsky; Torularia korolkowii (Regel & Schmalhausen) O. E. Schulz; T. korolkowii var. longicarpa Z. X. An; T. korolkowii var. longistyla Vassilczenko; T. rosulifolia K. C. Kuan & Z. X. An; T. sulphurea (Korshinsky) O. E. Schulz.

Herbs annual or biennial, rarely perennial, (1.5-)8-45(-60) cm tall, sparsely to densely covered with short- to long-stalked, 1- or rarely 2-forked trichomes sometimes mixed basally with simple ones. Stems usually few to several from base, rarely simple, ascending or erect. Basal leaves rosulate; petiole 3-15(-30) mm; leaf blade oblong to lanceolate or spatulate-oblanceolate, (0.8-)1-5(-7.5) cm × (1-)2-10(-15) mm, sparsely to densely pubescent primarily with forked stalked trichomes, base attenuate or cuneate, margin entire, repand, or dentate, apex acute or obtuse. Cauline leaves similar to basal leaves but progressively smaller upward, sessile to subsessile. Racemes ebracteate. Fruiting pedicels erect or ascending, slender or stout, narrower than fruit, (3-)4-6(-8) mm. Sepals oblong, 2-2.5 × 1-1.3 mm, not saccate. Petals white, sometimes with yellowish center, broadly obovate, 5-7 × 2-3.5 mm, apex retuse. Filaments 2-2.5 mm; anthers oblong, 0.6-0.8 mm, apex apiculate. Ovules 15-25 per ovary. Fruit cylindric, (0.7-)1.2-2.2(-3.3) cm × 0.9-1 mm, mostly arcuate, sometimes straight or coiled into a loop, terete, strongly torulose, pubescent with subsessile or short-stalked, forked, slender trichomes; style 1-1.5 mm; stigma slightly 2-lobed. Seeds oblong, 0.9-1.1 × 0.5-0.6 mm. Fl. and fr. May-Aug.

Neotorularia rosulifolia is indistinguishable from N. korolkowii in every aspect of leaf morphology, trichomes, flower size, pedicel length, and fruit shape and size. The only feature in which the former taxon is said to differ from N. korolkowii is in its having only basal leaves. However, this character varies within a given population and throughout the range of the species.

Some forms of Neotorularia dentata (Freyn & Sintenis) Hedge & J. Léonard (from Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan) approach N. korolkowii in petal, pedicel, and fruit size, but the most reliable distinguishing feature is the trichomes on the leaves and fruit. In N. korolkowii they are exclusively Y-shaped, whereas in N. dentata they are several forked to subdendritic.

Mountain slopes, river banks, sandy beaches, grasslands, fields, roadsides; 500-3000 m. Gansu, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Xizang [Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan].