Iberis gibraltarica

Last updated

Iberis gibraltarica
Gibraltar Candytuft 1.JPG
Iberis gibraltarica flowering at the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens.
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Brassicales
Family: Brassicaceae
Genus: Iberis
Species:
I. gibraltarica
Binomial name
Iberis gibraltarica
L.

Iberis gibraltarica, the Gibraltar candytuft, is a flowering plant of the genus Iberis and the family Brassicaceae. [1] It is the symbol of the Upper Rock Nature Reserve in Gibraltar, but is a native of North Africa. Gibraltar is the only place in Europe where it is found growing in the wild. The candytuft grows from crevices in the limestone, and is often seen growing in abundance from the north face of the Rock of Gibraltar. Its flowers range from pale violet to almost white, and can reach up to 8 cm (3.1 in) across. [2]

This species of candytuft is the national flower of Gibraltar, where it appeared on the local 50 pence coin between 1988 and 1989.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

Gibraltar is a self-governing British Overseas Territory, located to the north of the Strait of Gibraltar on the Iberian Peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock of Gibraltar</span> Monolithic limestone promontory located in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar

The Rock of Gibraltar is a monolithic limestone promontory located in the British territory of Gibraltar, near the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula, and near the entrance to the Mediterranean. It is 426 m (1,398 ft) high. Most of the Rock's upper area is covered by a nature reserve, which is home to around 300 Barbary macaques. These macaques, as well as a labyrinthine network of tunnels, attract many tourists each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpine garden</span>

An alpine garden is a domestic or botanical garden, or more often a part of a larger garden, specializing in the collection and cultivation of alpine plants growing naturally at high altitudes around the world, such as in the Caucasus, Pyrenees, Rocky Mountains, Alps, Himalayas and Andes. It is one of the most common types of rock garden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corymb</span> Botany term describing a certain type of flower growth

Corymb is a botanical term for an inflorescence with the flowers growing in such a fashion that the outermost are borne on longer pedicels than the inner, bringing all flowers up to a common level. A corymb has a flattish top with a superficial resemblance towards an umbel, and may have a branching structure similar to a panicle. Flowers in a corymb structure can either be parallel, or alternate, and form in either a convex, or flat form.

<i>Iberis</i> Genus of flowering plants

Iberis, commonly called candytuft, is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Brassicaceae. It comprises annuals, evergreen perennials and subshrubs native to the Old World. The name "candytuft" is not related to candy, but derives from Candia, the former name of Iraklion on the Island of Crete.

<i>Iberis sempervirens</i> Species of flowering plant

Iberis sempervirens, the evergreen candytuft or perennial candytuft, is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae, native to southern Europe. The species is often used as an ornamental garden shrub because of its decorative flowers. Iberis is so named because many members of the genus come from the Iberian Peninsula in south west Europe. Sempervirens means "always green", referring to the evergreen foliage.

NVC community CG2 is one of the calcicolous grassland communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system. It is one of three short-sward communities associated with heavy grazing, within the lowland calcicolous grassland group, and is regarded as "typical" chalk grassland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Verticillium wilt</span> Fungal disease of flowering plants

Verticillium wilt is a wilt disease affecting over 350 species of eudicot plants. It is caused by six species of Verticillium fungi: V. dahliae, V. albo-atrum, V. longisporum, V. nubilum, V. theobromae and V. tricorpus. Many economically important plants are susceptible including cotton, tomatoes, potatoes, oilseed rape, eggplants, peppers and ornamentals, as well as others in natural vegetation communities. Many eudicot species and cultivars are resistant to the disease and all monocots, gymnosperms and ferns are immune.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gibraltar Botanic Gardens</span>

The Gibraltar Botanic Gardens or La Alameda Gardens are a botanical garden in Gibraltar, spanning around 6 hectares. The Rock Hotel lies above the park.

<i>Silene tomentosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Silene tomentosa, the Gibraltar campion, is a very rare flowering plant of the genus Silene and the family Caryophyllaceae. It is a woody-based perennial about 40 cm high, with bilobed flowers ranging from pink to pale violet and is endemic to Gibraltar.

Smelowskia ovalis is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name alpine false candytuft. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to northern California, occurring mostly in the Cascade Range. It is a plant of alpine climates, growing in high mountain habitat such as talus and fellfields. It is clumpy in shape, producing several hairy stems growing erect to a maximum height around 18 centimeters. The densely hairy leaves are divided into several oval leaflets. The longest leaves are arranged around the base of the plant, and a few smaller ones occur farther up the stems. The inflorescence is a dense, spherical raceme of flowers that elongates as the fruits develop. The flowers have white or pink-tinged petals each a few millimeters long. The fruit is a short silique.

<i>Iberis umbellata</i> Species of flowering plant

Iberis umbellata, common name garden candytuft or globe candytuft, is a herbaceous annual flowering plant of the genus Iberis and the family Brassicaceae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gibraltar Nature Reserve</span> Protected nature reserve in Gibraltar

The Gibraltar Nature Reserve is a protected nature reserve in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar that covers over 40% of the territory's land area. It was established as the Upper Rock Nature Reserve in 1993 under the International Union for Conservation of Nature's category Ia and was last extended in 2013. It is known for its semi-wild population of Barbary macaques, and is an important resting point for migrating birds.

HMS Candytuft was a Flower-class corvette, built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War, and was in service in the Battle of the Atlantic. In 1942 she was transferred to the United States Navy as part of the reverse Lend Lease arrangement and renamed USS Tenacity, one of the Temptress-class gunboats. With the end of hostilities she was returned to the Royal Navy and sold into merchantile service.

The footpaths of Gibraltar provide access to key areas of the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, a refuge for hundreds of species of flora and fauna which in some cases are found nowhere else in Europe. The reserve occupies the upper part of the Rock of Gibraltar, a long and narrow mountain that rises to a maximum height of 424 metres (1,391 ft) above sea level, and constitutes around 40 per cent of Gibraltar's total land area. The unusual geology of the Rock of Gibraltar – a limestone peak adjoining a sandstone hinterland – provides a habitat for plants and animals, such as the Gibraltar candytuft and Barbary partridge, which are found nowhere else in mainland Europe. For many years, the Upper Rock was reserved exclusively for military use; it was fenced off for military purposes, but was decommissioned and converted into a nature reserve in 1993.

<i>Iberis linifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Iberis linifolia is a herbaceous annual flowering plant of the genus Iberis and the family Brassicaceae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Verna Pratt</span> American botanist, gardening expert, author

Verna E. Pratt was an American botanist, gardening expert, and author. She was considered an expert on Alaska native plants and wildflowers and produced several field guides on the topic. Pratt is also credited for popularizing the knowledge of Alaska plants among gardeners and recreationalists.

<i>Iberis amara</i> Species of plant in the family Brassicaceae

Iberis amara, called wild candytuft, rocket candytuft and bitter candytuft, is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae, native to Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland. It has been introduced to numerous locations including Algeria, Sweden, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Iraq, Kazakhstan, the Indian Subcontinent, Korea, Far Eastern Russia, New Zealand, Argentina, Ecuador, Hispaniola, the United States, and Canada. It prefers to grow in warm and sunny conditions, in high-calcium soil.

<i>Aethionema armenum</i> Species of flowering plant

Aethionema armenum, also called rock cress, stonecress, or Persian candytuft, is a low-growing evergreen shrub in the Brassicaceae family native to the Mediterranean. There, it is typically found on rocky slopes above 800 meters.

<i>Iberis saxatilis</i> Species of flowering plant

Iberis saxatilis, the rock candytuft, is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae, native to southern Europe and northwest Africa. The species is typically used as an ornamental rock and alpine garden perennial plant because of its decorative flowers and cascading growth habit. Iberis is so named because many members of the genus come from the Iberian Peninsula in south west Europe. The species name saxatilis means "growing among rocks," referring to the preferred substrate of this species.

References