Bushy stanleya is a perennial wildflower with one to many stems arising 40-150 cm high from a shrubby or woody base. The herbage consists of many fine, short hairs which five the stems and leaves a glaucous appearance. The lower leaves are 5-20 cm long with pinnately divided, parted, or lobed margins. These are typically withered by the time the plants bloom. The upper leaves are narrowly lanceolate or linear in shape and all have petioles.
The inflorescence is a raceme from 20-50 cm long with many closely spaced flowers. The racemes vary from 10-35 cm long. The stout flower pedicels are 5-15 mm long while the glabrous, yellowish-green sepals are 10-12 mm long. The yellow petals are oblanceolate in shape with a narrow,claw that is densely hairy on the inner surface. They measure 12-14 mm long. The filaments are much longer than the petals and are haired near their base. The fruits are arched siliques from 5-7 cm long and 2 mm wide and they are spreading to ascending.
Bushy stanleya may be found on dry ground in the plains to lower elevations in the mountains.
Bushy stanleya may be found from southeastern Oregon south to southern California and east to the Great Plains of the Dakotas and south through Kansas to Texas.
