Shepherd's cress is a small (5-20 cm tall) weedy annual. It has lyrate or oval basal leaves and no stem leaves (=nudicaulis). The small white flowers are typical of the family, clustered at the top of the stem. The silicles are 2-3 mm wide, oval, with a notched tip and narrow marginal wings. Shepherd's cress is inconspicuous but common in grassy fields and roadsides at low to middle elevations.