Biennial or perennial herb, 5-20 cm tall, spreading or ascending, often much branched from the base, ± hairy with short branched and simple subappressed hairs (not ciliate), rarely subglabrous or glabrous. Basal leaves rosulate, narrowly oblanceolate to linear-elliptic, stalked to subsessile, dentate to subentire, 20-35 mm long, 5-8 mm broad; cauline leaves ± similar but gradually becoming smaller above. Racemes 10-15 (-25)-flowered, often bracteate below, up to 10 cm long in fruit. Flowers 3-4 (-5) mm across, violet, pinkish or white; pedicels 3-5 (-8) mm long in fruit, suberect or ascending, slightly or not thickened. Sepals 2-3 mm long. Petals 3-5 mm long, 1.5-2.5 mm broad. Stamens c. 2: 2.5 mm long; anthers c. 0.3 mm long. Siliquae (8-) 10-25 mm long, c. 1 mm broad, erect, straight or slightly curved above, torulose, minutely pubescent to glabrous; style 0.5-1 mm long with depressed, sub-bilobed stigma; septum not veined; seeds (6-) 10-16 in each locule, c. I mm long.

Fl. Per.: May-July.

Type: Altai, C.A. Meyer (LE,K).

Distribution: C. and N. Asia, Himalayas, Pakistan and Afghanistan ; introduced in N. America.

Differs from Torularia torulose (Desf.) Schulz by its slender habit, minute somewhat soft hairs, slightly larger usually violet or pink flowers, narrow almost erect, striaght fruits on slender narrow pedicels. Variable in hairiness, flower size and colour.