It is a biennial or perennial herbaceous plant with one or more stems reaching 15 to 80 centimeters. The leaves are generally narrow and dotted and can reach 20 cm in length. At the top of the stem is an inflorescence of flowers with purple-greenish sepals surrounded by two to three cm petals of bright yellow to red and purple. When the flowers fall off, long, narrow fruits or hairy siliques several cm long remain.