Annual up to 70 cm tall, branched above, glabrous rarely very sparsely hairy. Basal leaves oblanceolate, 2-8 cm long, 1-2 cm broad, petiolate, toothed withering early; upper leaves lanceolate-oblong, 2-6 cm long, 0.5-2 cm broad, sessile, auricled at base, amplexicaul, dentate to subentire. Racemes 30-70-flo¬wered, up to 25 cm long in fruit. Flowers 3-5 mm across, white; pedicels 10-15 mm long in fruit, glabrous, spreading. Sepals c. 2 mm long, 1.3 mm broad. Petals 3-4.5 mm long, 1.5-2 mm broad. Stamens c. 1.5:2 mm long; anthers c. 0.5 mm. Siliculae ± orbicular. 1-2 cm in diam., deeply notched at the apex with subsessile stigma, glabrous; wing prominent, reticulately veined; septum c. 1.5 mm wide; seeds 4-6 in each locule, 1.5-2 mm long, ellipsoid, dark brown.

Fl. Per.: April July.

Type: Described from Sweden, Herb. Linn. no. 825/2 (LINN).

Distribution: Almost throughout the Northern hemisphere.

Seeds contains about 25% oil suitable for illumination.