Annual, biennial or perennial herbs, branched mostly from the base, erect or suberect, usually densely hairy with simple and branched, intermixed hairs. Basal leaves often rosulate, stalked, obovate-oblong, dissected to almost entire; cauline leaves sessile, often broad based and auricled, semiamplexicaul, sometimes cuneate below, dentate to entire. Racemes corymbose, lax in fruit and elongating. Flowers small, white or pinkish, rarely yellow; pedicels not thickened, filiform, ascending or spreading in fruit, often elongated. Sepals not saccate at base. Petals slightly to about twice as long as the sepals, rarely suppressed or absent. Stamens 6, rarely 4; filaments not appendaged; anthers ovoid, obtuse. Lateral nectar glands semiannular or annular, rarely semiglobose; middle present, often torose, sometimes joining the laterals. Ovary linear, 20-100-ovuled; stigma depressed, obscurely bilobed, usually on short style. Siliquae linear, often curved, compressed-terete, glabrous or hairy ; valves usually membranous, subconvex, 1-veined; septum membranous, usually not veined; seeds 1-seriate, ovoid, mucilaginous when wet (very rarely not mucilaginous) ; radicle generally incumbent.