Perennial of the Brassicaceae family, native to Eastern Europe and Central Asia, from the steppes and dry grasslands of the Pontic region to Anatolia and the Caucasus, on sandy or stony well-drained soils in full exposure.
It is distinguished by its sinuous stems at the base — hence its epithet tortuosum — woody and tortuous with age, forming low semi-shrubby clumps of 15-30 cm, with narrow, grayish leaves. The flowers are yellow, in elongated clusters, in spring. Its particular habit, linked to its twisted stems, gives it a mineral and structured appearance that can be interesting in rock garden compositions.
A plant for full sun and light, draining substrates, it is suitable for dry gardens of steppe style or rock gardens of oriental inspiration. It is little known in Western cultivation but deserves the attention of enthusiasts of original plants from semi-arid zones.