Lobularia maritima

Lobularia maritima
Lobularia maritima
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Brassicales
Family: Brassicaceae
Genus: Lobularia
Species: L. maritima
Binomial name
Lobularia maritima
(L.) Desv.

Lobularia maritima, common name Sweet Alyssum or Sweet Alison, also commonly referred to as just Alyssum from the genus in which it was formerly classified, is a low-growing flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae.

Contents

Etymology

The genus name lobularia comes from the Latin name globulus, meaning small globe, refers to the shape of the clusters of flowers, while the name of the species maritima refers to its habitat.

Description

Close-up on flowers of Lobularia maritima

It is an annual plant (rarely a short-lived perennial plant) growing to 10-30 cm tall. The stem is very branched, with dense clusters of small flowers. The leaves are 1-4 cm long and 3-5 mm, broad, alternate, sessile, quite hairy, oval to lanceolate, with an entire margin.

The flowers are about 5 millimetres (0.20 in) of diameter, sweet-smelling, with four white rounded petals (rarely pink or lavender) and four sepals. The six stamens have yellow anthers. The flowers are produced throughout the growing season, or year-round in areas free of frost. The flowering period usually extends from March-April through September. They are pollinated by insects (entomophily). The fruits are numerous elongated seedpods rather hairy, oval to rounded, each containing two seeds. The dispersal of seed is granted by the wing (anemochory)

Cultivation and uses

Lobularia maritima is cultivated in gardens, with many horticultural varieties with purple or pink flowers.. The plant is best planted in early spring, but requires little maintenance when growing. Although an annual, it may reseed. It will flower more profusely if spent blooms are trimmed. When grown in gardens, it is typically used as ground cover, as it rarely grows higher than 20 cm tall. It prefers partial shade, and is resistant to heat and drought. Plants with darker-colored flowers do better in cooler temperatures. It has become widely naturalised throughout the temperate regions of the world.

There is an endemic subspecies of Lobularia maritima in the local flora of the Columbretes Islands.[1]

Distribution

This plant is native to the Mediterranean region and it is also present in Macaronesia (Canary Islands, Azores) and in France in the Bay of Biscay, it is naturalized elsewhere.

Habitat

It is common on sandy beaches and dunes, but can also grow on cultivated fields, walls, slopes and waste ground, preferably on calcareous soil, at an altitude of 0–300 metres (0–980 ft) above sea level.

Gallery

  • Plants of Lobularia maritima

  • Flowers of Lobularia maritima

  • Flowers of Lobularia maritima

  • L. maritima, Osaka, Japan

  • Leaf of Lobularia maritima

Cultivars

* Lobularia maritima 'Snow Cloth' (white)
  • Lobularia maritima 'Royal Carpet' (purple)
  • Lobularia maritima 'Benthamii'
  • Lobularia maritima 'Carpet of Snow'
  • Lobularia maritima 'Easter Bonnet Violet'
  • Lobularia maritima 'Little Dorrit'
  • Lobularia maritima 'Navy Blue'
  • Lobularia maritima 'New Carpet of Snow'
  • Lobularia maritima 'Oriental Nights'
  • Lobularia maritima 'Rosie O’Day'
  • Lobularia maritima 'Snow Crystals'
  • Lobularia maritima 'Sweet White'
  • Lobularia maritima 'Violettkönigin'
  • Lobularia maritima 'Wonderland Copper'

Synonyms

  • Alyssum maritimum f. argentatum Font Quer
  • Alyssum maritimum f. crassifolium Font Quer
  • Alyssum maritimum f. densiflorum (Lange) Briq.
  • Alyssum maritimum f. densiflorum (Lange) Samp.
  • Alyssum maritimum f. virescens Font Quer
  • Alyssum maritimum var. densiflorum (Lange) Rouy & Foucaud
  • Alyssum maritimum var. genuinum Rouy & Foucaud
  • Alyssum maritimum var. lepidoides Ball
  • Alyssum maritimum var. macrophyllum Pau
  • Alyssum maritimum (L.) Lam.
  • Alyssum murcicum Sennen
  • Alyssum odoratum hort.
  • Alyssum strigulosum (Kuntze) Amo
  • Clypeola maritima L.
  • Koniga maritima var. densiflora (Lange) Rouy
  • Koniga maritima var. genuina Rouy
  • Koniga maritima var. strigulosa (Kuntze) Rouy
  • Koniga maritima (L.) R. Br. in Denham & Clapperton
  • Koniga strigulosa (Kuntze) Nyman
  • Lobularia maritima f. densiflora (Lange) Maire
  • Lobularia maritima subsp. columbretensis R. Fern.
  • Lobularia maritima (L.) Desv. subsp. maritima (L.) Desv.
  • Lobularia maritima var. densiflora Lange
  • Lobularia strigulosa (Kuntze) Willk. in Willk. & Lange
  • Ptilotrichum strigulosum Kunze

References

  1. ^ Paratype of Lobularia maritima (L.) Desv. subsp. columbretensis R. Fern.

External links

Stub icon This Brassicales article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.