Perennial caespitose herbs, sparsely hairy with simple hairs; rootstock thick, woody, dichotomously branched, covered with withered leaf bases; aerial stem dichotomously branched, usually not leafy, glabrous. Radical leaves densely rosulate, 1-pinnatisect to pinnatipartite or almost entire, sometimes almost lyrate, 3-5-jugate, sparsely hairy with simple hairs. Scapes sparingly and dichotomously branched above, increasing or elongating in fruiting stage. Flowers mediocre, pale yellow, pedicellate, ebracteate. Sepals oblong, not saccate at base, obtuse or obscurely toothed at the apex. Petals about twice as long as the sepals, spathulate, clawed, with rounded entire or obscurely toothed apex. Stamens 6; filaments not appendaged; anthers ovate obtuse. Nectar glands separated, dot-like, pre-sent between the stamen bases. Ovary oblong-elliptic, bilocular, with 1 pendulous ovule in each locule; style c. half as long as the ovary; stigma short, depressed¬capitate. Siliculae elliptic-oblong or lanceolate, bilocular, dehiscent; valves flattened but not compressed contrary to the septum, falling off with the seed (ma¬ture or aborted) ; septum 2-2.5 times as long as broad, membranous but somewhat thickened at the margin, with irregular, rectangular or angular cells; seeds usually 1 maturing, ovate-oblong brown; cotyledons transversely folded; radicle incum¬bent.
Probably a monotypic genus in C. Asia and W. Pakistan.
The other species, W.afghanica (Rech.f.et Koeie) Hedge (in Rech.f.,Fl. Iran.57:74.1968) with entire leaves and suborbicular compressed siliculae perhaps do not belong here.
Very closely related to Heldreichia Boiss. but with fragmentary nectariferous glands, and 1-pinnatisect leaves with oblique lobes, siliculae laterally flattened but not compressed and septum as broad as the valves.
