Megacarpaea
(from megas, great, and karpos, a fruit; in allusion to the large pods). ORD. Cruciferae. A genus consisting of only three species of large, robust, branched herbs, with thick perennial roots, natives of Siberia, the Himalayas, and Thibet. Flowers white or violet, racemose or corymbose; sepals equal at base; stamens six or many, free, edentulate. Pods large, indehiscent, laterally much compressed. Leaves glaucous, pinnatisect. The undermentioned species thrives in light sandy soil, and is increased readily by seeds. M. polyandra, a Himalayan species, is, perhaps, not now in cultivation. M. laciniata (jagged). fl. yellow, small; stamens six; valves ovate, broadly-winged. June and July. l. villous; radical ones stalked, pinnate-parted, with deeply toothed or cut lobes. Stems furnished at the neck with the vestiges of the petioles of the preceding year. h. 6in. to 12in. Caspian Desert, &c., 1818.