Malcolmia karelinii Lipsky

The protologue of Sisymbrium brevipes included two elements, of which Karelin & Kirilov 106 (LE) is the type of the species name, and it definitely belongs to the taxon currently known as Neotorularia brevipes (see below). The other element, Karelin & Kirilov 1240 (LE), which is a Malcolmia with twisted fruit and connivent stigma, was cited by Karelin and Kirilov under an unnamed variety, which is the basis of the name M. karelinii.

Herbs annual, (3-)10-30(-45) cm tall, sparsely pubescent with small, short-stalked, forked or 3-rayed trichomes sometimes mixed with few simple ones, rarely glabrescent. Basal leaves soon withered, not rosulate. Middle and lower cauline leaves petiolate; petiole 3-12(-20) mm; leaf blade elliptic, oblong, or lanceolate, 1-3(-4) cm × 2-10(-16) mm, base cuneate, margin coarsely dentate, apex acute; uppermost leaves smaller and subsessile. Racemes few flowered, elongated considerably in fruit; rachis straight. Fruiting pedicels thickened narrower than or as wide as fruit, 0.5-1 mm. Sepals 1-2(-2.5) × 0.5-0.7 mm, caducous. Petals pink or rarely white, narrowly oblanceolate, 2-3.5(-4) × 0.3-0.7 mm. Filaments free, 1.5-2.5 mm; anthers narrowly oblong, 0.3-0.6 mm. Fruit linear, curved at least near apex, or straight, rarely coiled, subterete, torulose, (1.3-)1.8-3.2(-5) cm × 0.5-0.8(-0.9) mm; valves not veined, glabrous or rarely sparsely pubescent with forked trichomes; style obsolete; stigma conical, to 1 mm. Seeds oblong, 0.9-1.2 × 0.4-0.5 mm. Fl. and fr. Apr-Jun.

Nei Mongol, Xinjiang [Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; SW Asia].

Steppes; deserts, hillsides; 800-2000 m.

Sisymbrium brevipes Karelin & Kirilov, Bull. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou 15: 154. 1842, p.p., quoad var. ; Dontostemon brevipes Bunge; Malcolmia karelinii var. lasiocarpa Lipsky; Strigosella brevipes (Bunge) Botschantzev.