Annual, up to 30 cm long, suberect to procumbent, branched mostly from the base, glabrous or sub-hairy with simple hairs; secondary branches usually short, bearing mostly flowers and fruits. Basal leaves oblong, narrowed below, pinnati¬fid to pinnatipartite, stalked, 4-7 cm long, 5-10 mm broad, glabrous; lobes few, short, oblong, obtuse; upper leaves oblong, obtuse, dentate to entire, shortly stalk¬ed to subsessile. Racemes 30-50-flowered, up to 10 cm long in fruit. Flowers small, c. 2 mm across, white; pedicel c. 1.5 mm long, increasing up to 3 mm in fruit, becoming somewhat thickened and appressed to stem. Sepals c. 1 mm long, oblong, suborbicular. Petals c. 1.5 mm long, 0.6 mm broad, spathulate, apex rounded. Stamens 6; c. 1.2: 1.4 mm long, anthers minute. Siliculae 2.5-3 mm long, 1.5-2 mm broad, ovate-oblong; apex notched and slightly winged with short style included within it; septum c. 0.4 mm broad; seed c. 1 mm long, oblong, pale brown.

Fl. Per.: April-June.

Syntypes: Iraq, Baghdad, Aucher Eloy 319 (G, K); Iran, Aucher Eloy 4142 (G).

Distribution: Syria, Iraq, Turcomania, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Lepidium borsczovi (Regel) N. Busch, probably of saline habitats, is a dwarf form of this species, which is very variable in size but the appressed siliculae are very distinctive.