Annual, rarely biennial, with fine, star-shaped hairs, often grayish, non-glandular, 30-100 cm tall. Leaves alternate, numerous, 2-10 cm long, generally oblong-ovate to oblanceolate, short-stalked, mostly decompound into linear segments scarcely 1 mm broad. Flowers inconspicuous, numerous in clusters often half the total height of the plant. Fruits pods, nearly erect, cylindrical, linear, 2-3 cm long, 1-1.5 mm broad, hardly constricted between seeds, rounded at the tip, the stigma nearly stalkless.

Atiscorbutic and astringent (flowers, leaves); Cardiotonic, demulcent, diuretic, expectorant, febrifuge, laxative, restorative and tonic (seed)

Descurainia sophia (L.) Webb
Plants for a Future
PIER

To ease the pain of toothache, for chronic coughs, hoarseness and ulcerated sore throats, asthma (plant); asthma, fevers, bronchitis, oedema, dysentery, sciatica, on burns and sores (seed)