Perennial herbs, 10-35 cm tall, erect or suberect, branched mostly from below, ± silvery hairy with bipartite appressed hairs. Leaves linear or narrowly oblanceolate, 20-40 mm long, 3-10 mm broad, sessile, entire or obscurely toothed, usually acute. Racemes 20-30-flowered, lax and up to 20 cm long in fruit. Flowers c. 5 mm across, white or pinkish, usually ebracteate; pedicel up to 10 mm long in fruit, spreading, fitiform. Sepals c. 2 mm long. Petals c. 4 mm long, 2.5 mm broad, apex ± rounded. Stamens c. 1.5: 2 mm long; anthers c. 0.3 mm. Siliculae ovate oblongish, or obovate, 2.5-3.5 (-4) mm long, 2-2.5 mm broad (excl. c. 1 mm long style); valves slightly convex, appressedly pubescent to almost glabrous, with a distinct mid-vein; seed 1 in each locule c. 1.5 mm in diam, suborbicular-compressed with an obscure narrow wing, reddish-brown.

Fl. Per.: March -June.

Type: Described from Europe, Montpellier.

Distribution: Native of the Mediterranean and Macaronesian regions, widely introduced in the world as an ornamental plant.

Cultivated as spring ornamental almost throughout Pakistan. Commonly known as `Sweet Alyssum'.

It is a good source of honey.