Annual, up to 20 (-30) cm long, procumbent, sometimes much smaller and erect, branched or simple, with stem and branches filiform, slender. Basal leaves usually ± rosulate, deeply dissected to entire, oblong-elliptic, shortly stalked to sessile, 10-40 mm long, (2-) 5-10 mm broad, glabrous or sparsely pubescent; upper leaves smaller, sessile but cuneate at base. Racemes (5-) 15-30-flowered, lax, increasing up to 10 cm in fruit. Flowers minute, c. 1.5 mm across, white; pedicels 2.5-8 (-12) mm long in fruit, spreading. Sepals c. 1 mm long, 0.5 mm broad. Petals hardly as long as the sepals. Stamens c. 0.8: 1 mm long. Siliculae ellipsoid, (2.5-) 3-4.5 mm long, (1-) 1.5-2 mm broad, apex blunt or slightly emarginate, glabrous; septum c. 1 mm wide; seeds usually 6 in each locule, c. 0.6 mm long, 0.4 mm broad, ellipsoid, pale brown.

Fl. Per.: April-June.

Type: Described from Montpellier.

Distribution: Cooler regions of Europe, Asia, N. Africa, N. America, Chile, Australia, and New Zealand.

Very variable in stature and leaf structure.

There seems to be some difference of opinion on the authority of this species. Nattall (ex Torr. & Gray, l.c.) actually included 2 species, Hymenolobus divaricatus and Hymenolobus erectus under this genus, showing its close relationship with Capsella elliptica C.A. Mey. (quoting Hymenolobus procumbens Nutt., nom. nud. in its synonyms.). However, Nuttall's concept of this new genus did include Hymenolobus procumbens also, but this species was not validly published till O.E. Schulz (l.c.) adopted it basing it on Lepidium procumbens L.