Iberis amara L.

Herb

Iberis species are dwarf annual or perennial herbs or undershrubs, glabrous or hairy, not scapose. Rootstocks taproot. Stem erect or decumbent, leafy, simple or usually branched, angular, glabrous or pubescent. Basal leaves simple, rosulate or not, linear lanceolate to oblong, base cuneate to attenuate, margin entire to pinnatifid, apex acute to acuminate, somewhat fleshy, petiole short to sessile, cauline leaves usually similar but smaller, petiole subsessile to sessile. Inflorescence racemes, lax, few to many flowered, elongated or not in fruit, ebracteate. Flowers bisexual, white, purplish, pink, pedicel erect, divaricate, slender, ascending or descending, sepals 4, ovate-oblong, lateral pair base not saccate, apex obtuse, petals 4, obovate-oblong, outer upper pair larger than inner pair, base cuneate, margins entire, apex obtuse. Stamens 6, filaments not dilated near the base, anthers linear-oblong, nectar glands 4, lateral confluent and subtending bases of stamens. Ovary superior, linear, ellipsoid-cylindrical, bicarpellary, ovule 2 or more. Fruit silicula, ovate-suborbicular, angustiseptate, keeled, winged at the apex, bilocular, base and apex nearly rounded, subglabrous or slightly covered with bipartite appressed hairs, midrib prominent, torulose, valves not veined, glabrous, replum rounded, septum complete, style distinct, stigma capitates sometimes bilobed. Seeds uniseriate or biseriate, flattened or compressed, brown, ovate-ovoid, winged, minutely reticulate, mucilaginous or not when soaked, cotyledons accumbent.

Iberis species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: May—July.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Annual, perennial herbs or undershrubs, not scapose, glabrous or hairy, about 10-30 cm tall. Rootstocks slender, taproot. Stem erect or decumbent, leafy, simple or usually branched, angular, glabrous or pubescent. Basal leaves simple, rosulate or not, linear oblanceolate-elliptic to oblong, about 3-8 x 0.4-1.2 cm across, base cuneate, margin entire or towards apex few dentate, apex acute to obtuse, somewhat fleshy, petiole short to sessile, cauline leaves usually similar but smaller, margin entire to pinnatifid, petiole subsessile to sessile. Inflorescence raceme corymbs, lax, 10-30 flowered, up to 10 cm long in fruit, ebracteate. Flowers bisexual, white, purplish, pink, fragrant, forming globular clusters, pedicel erect, filiform, divaricate, slender, ascending or spreading, up to 2.5 cm long in fruit, sepals 4, ovate-oblong, lateral pair base not saccate, apex obtuse, about 2.5 mm long, petals 4, obovate-oblong, outer upper pair larger than inner pair, base cuneate, margins entire, apex obtuse, about 5-8 mm long, claw distinct. Stamens 6, filaments not dilated near the base, anthers ovate-oblong, nectar glands 4, lateral confluent and subtending bases of stamens. Ovary superior, linear, ellipsoid-cylindrical, bicarpellary, ovules 2 or more. Fruit silicula, sessile, ovate-suborbicular, angustiseptate, keeled, winged at the apex, about 5-7 mm in diameter, bilocular, base and apex nearly rounded, subglabrous or slightly covered with bipartite appressed hairs, midrib prominent, torulose, valves not veined, glabrous, replum rounded, septum complete, style distinct, stigma capitates sometimes bilobed. Seeds flattened or compressed, brown, broadly ovate, orbicular to reniform, winged, about 3 mm across, minutely reticulate, mucilaginous or not when soaked, cotyledons accumbent.

Iberis species are susceptible to various insect pests, virus, mildews and moulds.

Notes: Western Ghats, Native of Western Europe

Dry and open areas, cultivated

Cultivated in gardens as ornamental, native of Europe.

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Cultivated as ornamental in gardens, used in Homeopathic medicine.