Perennial herb to subshrub with a thick taproot from which numerous stems arise.. Stems 10–30 cm. tall, ascending or decumbent, lignified at base to often quite high up, much branched, finely puberulous with reflexed to adpressed tapering hairs.. Basal leaves short-lived, oblanceolate, entire or sparsely serrulate; cauline leaves indistinctly petioled, of rather firm consistency, often involute, up to 5 cm. long, lanceolate to nearly linear, acute, attenuate at base, entire or distantly serrulate, finely and often sparsely puberulous on both sides; apices and teeth ± cartilaginous.. Racemes mostly terminal, with numerous minute greenish flowers, in fruit dense, up to 12 cm. long; pedicels 3–4.5 mm., ascending to curved, puberulous on the upper side.. Sepals green with membranous margins, occasionally with a tinge of violet, ovate, 0.8–1.3 mm. long.. Petals white, linear, always shorter than sepals, up to 0.8 mm. long.. Stamens 2 (median), both at each side of the filament-bases (i.e. just inside the petals), with triangular to cylindrical nectarial glands.. Ovary broadly elliptic, with projecting style.. Siliculae elliptic (1.3–1.6 times as long as broad), retuse, 2.5–4 mm. long, 1.7–3 mm. broad; style distinct, with stigma usually projecting beyond the sinus.. Seeds wingless, light red-brown, 1.2–1.6 mm. long, ± 0.8 mm. broad.. Fig. 5/5, p. 18.
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