Aethionema
Aethionema grandiflorum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Brassicales
Family: Brassicaceae
Genus: Aethionema
R.Br.
Synonyms[1]
  • Acanthocardamum Thell.
  • Campyloptera Boiss.
  • Crenularia Boiss.
  • Diastrophis Fisch. & C.A.Mey.
  • Disynoma Raf.
  • Eunomia DC.
  • Iondra Raf.
  • Lipophragma Schott & Kotschy ex Boiss.
Aethionema saxatile

Aethionema is a genus of flowering plants within the family Brassicaceae. They are known as stonecresses. Stonecresses originate from sunny limestone mountainsides in Europe and West Asia, especially Turkey.

Aethionema have typically perennials, but may be annuals. Their leaves are ovate or linear.[2]

Etymology

The Latin name Aethionema derives from ancient Greek αἴθειν "to light up, kindle" + νῆμα "thread, yarn".[citation needed] The English name "stonecress" derives from its creeping habit and its favoured stony or rocky sites.[3]

Taxonomy

Aethionema is sister to the rest of the genera in the Brassicaceae. The two clades diverged some time during the Eocene.[2]

Species include:[1]

Cultivation

Aethionema species are grown for their profuse racemes of cruciform flowers in shades of red, pink or white, usually produced in spring and early summer. A favoured location is the rock garden or wall crevice. They appreciate well-drained alkaline soil conditions, but can be short-lived.[4] The hybrid cultivar 'Warley Rose' is a subshrub with bright pink flowers. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[5][6]

References

  1. ^ a b "Aethionema R.Br". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanical Gardens Kew. Retrieved 2018-10-14.
  2. ^ a b Mohammadin, Setareh; Peterse, Kim; Van De Kerke, Sara J.; Chatrou, Lars W.; Dönmez, Ali A.; Mummenhoff, Klaus; Pires, J. Chris; Edger, Patrick P.; Al-Shehbaz, Ihsan A.; Schranz, M. Eric (2017). "Anatolian origins and diversification of Aethionema , the sister lineage of the core Brassicaceae". American Journal of Botany. 104 (7): 1042–1054. doi:10.3732/ajb.1700091. PMID 28743759.
  3. ^ Shorter Oxford English dictionary, 6th ed. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. 2007. p. 3804. ISBN 978-0199206872.
  4. ^ RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 978-1405332965.
  5. ^ "Aethionema 'Warley Rose' AGM". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  6. ^ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). www.rhs.org. Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 3. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
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