Annual or biennial plant, glabrous or subglabrous. Root axonomorphic, very often fusiform or tuberous. Stem up to 150 cm, branched especially at the top. Leaves up to 40 cm, glaucous, glabrous or very often ciliate on the nerves or margins; the lower ones, petiolate, lyrate, with 2-5 pairs of entire lateral segments and a much larger terminal one, irregularly toothed; the upper ones, sessile or subamplexicaules, oblong-lanceolate, entire. Clusters of 20-60 flowers; these, at the time of opening, do not exceed the still closed buds at the apex of the raceme. Pedicels 12-18 mm at anthesis, slightly larger at fruiting. Sepals 5-10 mm, erect-patent, glabrous. Petals 8-18 mm, yellow. Nectaries medium ovoid. Fruits 60-100 by 2.5-4 mm, sessile, suberect, with 12-18(29) seeds per locule, attenuate on 10-16 mm face, conical, with 0-1 seeds. Seeds 1.2-1.8 mm in diameter, spherical, dark brown.