Iberis umbellata, common name Candytuft or Globe Candytuft, is a herbaceous

Herbaceous

A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...

 annual

Annual

Annual or yearly is a word often used to describe something that happens once a year. Circannual describes events that take place over the course of one year and repeat year after year."Annual" may be an abbreviation for:*Yearbook*Annual plant...

 flowering plant

Flowering plant

The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...

 of the genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 Iberis

Iberis

Iberis is a genus of flowering plant belonging to the family Brassicaceae. It comprises herbs and subshrubs of the Old World. These species are commonly known as candytufts...

and the family Brassicaceae

Brassicaceae

Brassicaceae, a medium sized and economically important family of flowering plants , are informally known as the mustards, mustard flowers, the crucifers or the cabbage family....

.

Etymology

The genus name derives from "Iberia", the ancient name of Spain, while the species epithet comes from the Latin "umbel", meaning "umbrella" and refers to the shape of the inflorescence.

Description

The biological form of Iberis umbellata is hemicryptophyte scapose

Glossary of botanical terms

Many of the terms used in Wikipedia glossaries are already defined and explained within Wikipedia itself. However, lists like the following indicate where new articles need to be written and are also useful for looking up and comparing large numbers of terms together.This glossary is incomplete;...

, as its overwintering buds are situated just below the soil surface and the floral axis is more or less erect with a few leaves.

The stem is twisted at the base while the flowering branches are erect and leafy. This plant reaches a height of 30–50 cm (11.8–19.7 ). The leaves are green and linear-lanceolate, 15–25 mm (0.590551181102362–0.984251968503937 ) long. The flowers are in umbel-shaped corymbs. The calyx is violet and the corolla is composed of four white, pink or purple petals. The petals are rounded at the apex, with the peripheral ones forming a large vexillum

Vexillum

The vexillum was a flag-like object used in the Classical Era of the Roman Empire. The word is itself a diminutive for the Latin word, velum, sail, which confirms the historical evidence that vexilla were literally "little sails" i.e. flag-like standards...

 8–10 mm (0.31496062992126–0.393700787401575 ) long. The flowering period extends from May through June. The flowers are hermaphroditic

Hermaphrodite

In biology, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female sexes.Many taxonomic groups of animals do not have separate sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which both...

 and pollinated by bees and butterflies. The fruit is a silique

Silique

A silique or siliqua is a fruit of 2 fused carpels with the length being more than three times the width. The outer walls of the ovary usually separate when ripe, leaving a persistent partition...

7–10 mm (0.275590551181102–0.393700787401575 ) long.

Distribution

This species is native to the Mediterranean region. It is present in most of Europe, especially along the coasts, from Spain to Greece and in northern America.

Habitat

It grows in dry rocky hillsides, in bushy areas and in clearings, preferably on calcareous soils, at an altitude of 0–1300 m (0–4,265.1 ) above sea level.

External links

• Biolib
• USDA