Descurainia incisa displays variable hairiness; leaves and stems may be glabrous, sparsely or densely pubescent, glandular or non-glandular. Where present, the hairs are short, and branched. Stems are typically 2 feet tall, upright, and are more likely to branch above the middle. Basal leaves have stalks and are divided into two to nine pairs of side lobes, and a terminal lobe, while stem leaves tend to be stalkless, and smaller. Margins of the leaf lobes are variously entire, toothed or lobed.

Flower stalks may point outwards, at right angles, or upwards, and are up to one inch in length. The all-yellow flowers have four oblong sepals, usually sparsely hairy, and four similar length petals, narrowly oblanceolate in shape. Fruits are narrow, linear green pods, around half an inch long but less than 0.05 inches in diameter.

There are two subspecies. Ssp incisa has ascending flower stalks (when fruiting), and leaves with 5 to 9 pairs of side lobes, while the less common ssp paysonii has horizontal flower stalks and 2 or 3 pairs of side leaf lobes.

Lobed leaves