Megacarpea

a genus of perennial herbaceous plants of the family Cruciferae. The thick stem is ramose at its tip, and the inflorescence is paniculate. The flowers have white, yellow, or light purple petals. The fruit is a winged silicic. There are approximately ten species in Middle Asia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, the Himalayas, and China; six species are found in the USSR. The thick roots and the leaves of some species are sometimes used by local populations as food. Occasionally the plants of this genus are cultivated as ornamentals. The species Magacarpea gigantea can be used as fodder and silage.