Perennial herbs with woody rootstock, glabrous or hairy with simple, furcate or glandular hairs. Radical leaves often densely rosulate, linear to lanceolate, pinnatifed or sinuate-dentate, rarely pinnatisect or entire, often stalked with sheathing bases; lobes triangulate rarely linear or oblong. Scapes usually leafless, few to many flowered, rarely 1-flowered (without aerial stem). Flowers large, pink, lilac or white; pedicels strong and elongating in fruit. Sepals erect, inner saccate at the base. Petals spathulate, long clawed, apex ± emarginate. Stamens 6; filaments not appendaged; anthers linear, long. Lateral nectar glands ± annular, sometimes slightly opened; middle glands present or absent, not joining the laterals. Ovary linear, many ovuled; style distinct with conical, bilobed, erect stigmas with decurrent lobes. Siliquae usually elongated, linear-oblong, flattened or compressed, bilocular, dehiscent, often glabrous; valves with a distinct mid-rib; septum membranous, not veined; seeds 1-2-seriate, oblong, compressed, narrowly winged.