Annual or biennial up to 60 cm tall often branched from below erect, glabrous subglaucous. Lower leaves variable in size, obovate cuneate at the base, subsessile or sessile ± entire, apex rounded or obtuse; upper leaves oblong to suborbicular, cordate, amplexicaul, entire; all leaves fleshy ± glaucous, glabrous or sometimes apparently slightly papillose. Racemes 10-25-flowered, lax, up to 20 cm long in fruit. Flowers c. 1 cm across, whitish or pinkish; pedicel up to 10 mm (rarely-15 mm) long in fruit, slightly thickened. Sepals 5-7 mm long, 1.5 mm broad, oblong inner pair ± saccate at the base. Petals 8-12 mm long, 3.5-4 mm broad, obovate, narrowed into a claw. Stamens c. 7: 8 mm long; anthers c. 1.5 mm long. Siliquae tetragonous, spreading, straight or curved, 60-90 (-120) mm long, 2-2.5 mm broad, with a prominent mid-rib on the valves, shortly, beaked; beak 1-2.5 mm long, thickened with capitate stigma, giving a blunt apex to the fruit; seeds 12-20 in each locule, 2-2.5 mm long, oblong, dark brown, finely papillose; radicle incumbent.

Fl.Per.: April-May.

Type: Described from Europe, Herb. Linn. no 844/1 (LINN).

Distribution: S. and C. Europe, N. Africa, Turkey, Caucasus, Iraq, Iran, Afgha¬nistan and W. Pakistan.

Sometimes a weed of cultivated fields. Young sprouts are edible and seed contain fatty oil.