Annual or biennial, 15-30 cm long, diffuse or procumbent, often somewhat foetid, branched mostly from below, glabrous or hairy. Basal and lower leaves rosulate, pinnatisect, stalked, 6-10 jugate, 5-10 cm long; upper leaves similar or pinnatifid and only 3-5-jugate, 1.5-3 cm long, sessile or subsessile; lobes sinuate toothed, often only on one side. Racemes 30-60-flowered, dense, up to 8 cm long (usually much shorter) in fruit. Flowers minute, c.l mm across; pedicel short, 3-4 mm long in fruit, filiform. Petals present or O. Stamens only 2 or 4, but only 2 fertile. Siliculae shorter than the pedicel, c. 1.5 mm long, 2.5 mm broad, broader than long, bilobed; valves globose, reticulately rugose, glabrous; septum very narrow, inconspicuous, c. 0.3 mm broad; seed c. 1.5 long, reniform, reddish-brown.

Fl.Per.: March June.

Type: Described from Europe.

Distribution: Perhaps a native of S. America, but widely introduced almost throughout the world.