Biennials or perennials; (short-lived). Trichomes of leaves 2-4(-7)-rayed. Stems erect, often branched distally, sometimes proximally, (0.5-)1.2-10(-12) dm. Basal leaves (often withered by flowering); blade spatulate to narrowly oblanceolate or linear, 2-18(-27) cm × 3-15(-30) mm, base attenuate, margins entire or dentate to denticulate, apex acute. Cauline leaves (distal) sessile; blade margins entire or denticulate. Racemes considerably elongated in fruit. Fruiting pedicels divaricate to ascending, stout or slender, narrower than fruit, 4-17(-25) mm. Flowers: sepals narrowly oblong, 7-14 mm, lateral pair saccate basally; petals usually orange to yellow, rarely lavender or purplish, suborbicular to obovate, 12-25 (-30) × (5-)6-10(-13) mm, claw 8-16 mm, apex rounded; median filaments 9-18 mm; anthers linear, 3-4 mm. Fruits divaricate or ascending to erect, narrowly linear, straight or curved upward, not torulose, 3.5-11(-15) cm × 1.3-3.3 mm, 4-angled to latiseptate, not striped; valves with prominent midvein, pubescent outside, trichomes 2-5-rayed, glabrous inside; ovules (40-)54-82 per ovary; style cylindrical, usually stout, rarely slender, 0.2-2.5(-3) mm, sparsely pubescent; stigma 2-lobed, lobes as long as wide. Seeds oblong, 1.5-4 × 1-2 mm; winged apically or not winged. 2n = 36.

Plant: Biennial or short-lived perennial herb; stems 1-few, 0.5-100+ cm Leaves: ± linear to spoon-shaped, entire to toothed; tip generally acute; lower ± 2-25 cm; hairs 2-several-branched Flowers: bisexual; sepals 4, free, petals 12-30 mm, generally orange to yellow (cream to reddish); stamens generally (2,4)6, generally 4 long, 2 short; ovary 1, superior, chambers generally 2, septum membranous, connecting 2 parietal placentas, style 1, stigma 2-lobed Fruit: capsule with 2 deciduous valves, generally ascending, 3-15 cm, 1-4 mm wide, slightly fleshy when immature, ± 4-sided or slightly flattened when mature; style 0.2-5 mm; Seed 1-4 mm, 0.7-2 mm wide, 1-2 rows per chamber; wing generally 0 or at tip, rarely along sides Misc: 0-4000 m.