Flora of New Zealand Series

Annual to perennial. Taproot swollen or slender. Stems usually green, (10)-20-80-(100) cm tall. Rosette and lower stem lvs lyrate-pinnate; terminal leaflet 3-6-(10) × 3-6-(10) cm, as wide or narrower than rest of lf; lateral leaflets in 1-8 pairs. Stem lvs simple or with 1 pair of basal lobes, orbicular to lanceolate, 1-6 cm long. Racemes 15-40-(60) cm long. Pedicels 1-2 cm long, stout at fruiting. Sepals 6-9 × 1-2 mm. Petals yellow, white, brownish, pink, or mauve, usually mauve-veined, 13-20 mm long. Silique (1)-2-8-seeded, cylindric, constricted between seeds, breaking into segments when ripe, weakly to strongly ribbed, tapering at apex, (10)-20-60-(80) × (2)-3-8-(9) mm. Seeds 1.5-3 mm long.

Populations often display a petal colour polymorphism. All wild N.Z. material can be referred to 2 subspp.