rounded at the point, attenuated downwards to a very
slender base, which has the appearance of a petiole,
and is fringed, becoming more spathulate higher up the
stem: the upper ones linear, but rather broadest at the
point, more fringed and pubescent. Peduncles about
the length of, or rather longer than the upper leaves,
striate, and pubescent. Flowers white, or tinged with
blush, in a close, crowded corymb. Pedicles thickly
clothed with short stiff hairs, about twice the length of
the calyx. Calyx of 4 sepals, that are obovate, and
rounded, concave, keeled at the back, where they are
clothed with long stiff hairs, the margins membranaceous,
and tinged with blush. Petals 4, unequal, mostly
so on the outer flowers, the outer ones two or three times
longer than the inner ones, obovate, white, or more or
less tinged with blush. Stamens 6, two rather shorter
than the others: anthers a little exserted: Jilaments
roughish, and attached to the back of the anthers.
Ovarium smooth, terminated by a long smooth exserted
Style, and capitate two-lobed Stigma. Pod ovate,
rounded at the base, emarginate, the sinus acute, the
lobes elongated, acute, scarcely half the length of the
Style.
Our drawing of this pretty little species, was taken from a plant
in full bloom, sent to us the beginning of May last, by Messrs.
Young, Nurserymen, at Epsom, who received it from the Gardener
o f Philip Barker Webb, Esq. in whose garden it was raised from
seeds, collected and sent home by him from the mountains of Grenada,
in Spain; that it is the plant o f Willdenow, and the one
figured in Waldstein and Kitaibel’s work on the rare plants of Hungary,
there cannot be the least doubt, but we are not so certain of
its being the I . spathulata of Decandolle, who describes the flowers
as purple, which in Waldstein and Kitaibel’s figure are white, as
they are also described by Willdenow, but they probably, like
some other species, vary in colour.
A ll authors agree in considering this plant an annual, which it
probably is, as our plant died as soon as its seeds were ripened; but
from its appearance and mode of growth, we should have been inclined
to suppose it suffrutescent, or at least biennial, but that can
only be proved hy cultivation; should it prove to be annual, it will
only require to be sown in the open ground, like other hardy annuals;
but if suifrutescent, it w ill be a valuable plant for rock-work, or to
be grown in the borders, thriving well in a light sandy soil.
Iberis is derived from Iberia (now Spain), as many of the species
are native of that and similar countries.
1. Calyx. 2. The two large Petals. 3. The two smaller ditto. 4. The 6 Stamens,
showing their unequal lengths, 2 of them being shorter than the others.
5. The young Silicula, terminated by the Style and capitate 2-lobed Stigma.