Perennial, 10-25 cm tall, densely pubescent with minute, whitish stellate hairs; entire plant somewhat whitish in appearance due to dense white pubescence; rootstock elongated, branched above, thick and covered with leaf bases. Radical leaves rosulate, often congested, very variable in size, 10-60 mm long, 2-7 mm broad, oblong-obovate or oblanceolate, stalked, entire, pubescent, apex ± rounded; cauline leaves few, small, oblong-ovate, distant, 5-15 mm long, 2-5 mm broad, semi-amplexicaul, rarely subcordate, acute or obtuse, entire, `pubescent. Racemes 6-12 flowered, up to 7 cm long in fruit. Flowers 6-8 mm across, usually violet or pale rose coloured; pedicels up to 8 mm long. Sepals 4-5 mm long, stellately pilose. Petals 10-12 mm long, 3-5 mm broad. Stamens c. 4:5 mm long. Siliquae oblong-linear, compressed, 25-50 mm long, c. 1.5 mm broad, suberect, somewhat torulose, stellately pilose; stigma capitate, broad, sessile or subsessile; seeds 12-24 in each locule, c. 1.5 mm long, oblong-elliptic, very narrowly winged.

Type: Described from C. Asia, Mt. Arkat etc., Lectotype: `In rupestribus montium Kurtschum pr. Nabaty, 10. VI. 1826. fr., C.A. Meyer (LE).

Distribution: Pakistan, N. and C. Asia.

Its broad sessile stigma on densely pubescent fruits and large violet flowers look different from any of the other Arabis species, which usually have glabrous, very acute siliquae and distinct style with short depressed stigmas.