Perennial (or sometimes annual) herb, often woody at base, (15-) 25-75 cm tall, erect, branched mostly from the base, canescent with soft, branched or stellate hairs mixed with sessile or sub-sessile glands. Leaves oblanceolate, usually entire; basal rosulate, 3-16 cm long, (0.5-) 1-2 cm broad, apex usually rounded; upper leaves smaller but similar. Racemes 15-30-flowered, up to 30 cm long in fruit. Flowers 2-4 cm across, mauve or violet; pedicels up to 2.5 cm long in fruit, strong and thickened, erect or ascending. Sepals 8-12 mm long. Petals 15-30 mm long, 3-8 mm broad, obovate, long-clwed. Stamens 7-9: 10-12 mm long; anthers c. 2 mm long. Siliquae (7-) 10-15 cm long, 2.5-4 mm broad, pubescent-glandular; stigma bilobed, erect, sessile; seeds c. 2 mm in diameter, brown, winged.

Fl. Per.: March-May.

Type: Described from Spain, Herb. Linn no. 839/17 (LINN).

Distribution: Coast of S. and W. Europe, Cyprus, Turkey, Arabia and Egypt. Widely cultivated as an ornamental.

Often cultivated as an ornamental in our gardens for its flowers during spring.