Small perennial, caespitose herbs, branched from the base with stem erect, scapose, 0-1(-2)-leaved, hairy with simple and branched hairs, often coppery-red or violaceous in appearance. Radical leaves densely rosulate, linear or narrowly oblong, narrowed below, sessile or subsessile, entire or obscurely toothed. Racemes many flowered, often congested or capitate, ebracteate, rarely 1-2-bracteate below, hardly or not elongating in fruit. Flowers small, white, pale yellowish or pinkish-violet; pedicels short, slightly thickened in fruit, erect or ascending. Sepals suberect, not saccate at base, often somewhat persistent. Petals short, exceeding the sepals, obovate, cuneate below, apex truncate. Stamens 6; filaments not appendaged; anthers short, ovoid, obtuse. Lateral nectar glands semiannular, often ± in pairs or incomplete towards the inner side; middle glands absent. Ovary ovate or oblong, subcylindrical or subflattened, 4-26-ovuled; style short with a depressed, sub-bilobed stigma. Fruits short, subsiliculae to siliculae, often oblong-ellipsoid, bilocular, dehiscent, glabrous; valves subconvex 1-veined; septum hyaline, complete, ± 1-veined; seeds 1-2-seriate, few to many, ovoid, not mucilaginous when wet.
About a dozen species, mostly in the alpine regions; only 3 recorded from our area. It seems to be under collected here.
