Annual, dwarf herb, 5-10 (-15) cm long in fruits, spreading or suberect, glabrous or sparsely hairy with branched hairs. Leaves very variable, oblong or oblanceolate, sinuate-dentate to almost entire, often runcinate-pinnatifid, shortly stalked to sessile; basal rosulate, 2-6 cm long, 5-15 mm broad. Racemes often 5-8-flowered. Flowers c. 5 mm across, usually whitish; pedicels c. 1 mm long in fruit, thickened. Sepals (2.5-) 3-4 mm long. Petals 6-8 mm long, 1-1.5 mm broad. Stamens c. 2.5: 3.5 mm long. Siliquae 2-4 (-5) cm long, 2 mm broad, linear-quadrate, usually straight, glabrous or sparsely hairy; valves often ± 3-veined; seeds c. 1.5 mm long, oblong, pale brown.

Fl. Per.: March-May.

Type: Trans-Caspian region, Baku, C. A. Meyer (LE).

Distribution: Trans-Caspian region, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Nomenclature of the species is perhaps controversial; Malcolmia taraxacifolia (Balbis) DC. based on Cheiranthus taraxacifolius Balbis, was a form of Malcolmia Africana according to Botsch. (l.c.).