Neotorularia korolkovii and Isatis violascens (Brassicaceae) are early-spring ephemerals common in the Junggar Basin, Xinjiang. Phenology and sex expression of the two species are as follows. (1) Seed germination occurs in late March, fruits are fully mature in late May and early June, and lengths of the life cycles were 62d and 71d, respectively. In both species, vegetative growth accounted for one-third of the length of the life cycle and reproductive growth for two-thirds. (2) Flowers of both species are bisexual and tetradynamous. Difference in anther length of long and short stamen in N. korolkovii was not significant (p>0.05), but filament length between long and short stamen was significant (p<0.01). In I. violascens, differences in length of anther and filament between long and short stamen were significant (p<0.01). (3) Anthesis of individual flowers in the two species lasted 1-2d. The anther of the long stamen dehisced about 20min to 1.0h before the flower opened, while the anther of short stamen dehisced at anthesis. (4) Fertility rates of pollen were >90% in both species, but on a anther basis short stamen had more pollen grains than the long stamen.(5) Survivorship(viability) curves for pollen in long and short stamen were similar, and pollen viability was high at the beginning of anther dehiscence in both species. In N. korolkovii, pollen viability of long and short stamen at the beginning of anther dehiscence was 98% and 97%, respectively. Maximums lengths of pollen longevity for N. korolkovii was about 33.0h, and the optimal pollination phase was 09.0h after the shedding of pollen. However, in I. violascens pollen viability of long and short stamen was 99% and 98%, respectively, and their pollen longevity was about 7.0h. The optimal pollination phase for the species was 03.0h after the shedding of pollen. In N. korolkovii and I. violascens, optimal stigma receptivity was 03.0h and 02.0h after anthesis respectively. The period of anther dehiscence was highly correlated with the period of high pollen viability and with the period of high stigma receptivity. (6) P/O ratios of N. korolkovii and I. violascens were 108.07±17.17 and 992.10±272.16, respectively. There were no pollinators visitations during the flowering phase of either species, and self-pollen of both species was easily transferred by gravity to the stigma, where it germinated readily. Fruit-set in flowers of N. korolkovii and I. violascens without emasculation and with bagging was 80.00% and 79.43%, respectively, and fruit-set in naturally-pollinated plants was 84.26% and 82.51%, respectively. Based on these results, the breeding system of the both species is predominantly selfing. (7) Thus we can conclude that both species have special adaptive strategies in phenology, floral sex expression and mating pattern to the unpredictable Junggar desert environment and that these traits increase fitness of the populations.