Everything about Wallflower totally explained
The
genus Erysimum (
wallflowers) includes more than 220
species, both popular garden plants and many wild forms. They are small,
annual, short-lived
perennial herbs or
sub-shrubs, reaching 10-130 cm tall, with bright yellow to red or pink
flowers produced throughout the spring and summer. One species,
Erysimum semperflorens, native to
Morocco and
Algeria, has white flowers. Wallflowers have t-shaped
trichomes.
The genus
Cheiranthus is sometimes included herein whole or in part.
Distribution
Wallflowers are native to southwest
Asia, the
Mediterranean region,
Europe,
Macaronesia, and
North America through
Costa Rica. Many wallflowers are
endemic to small areas, such as the
Teide wallflower E. scoparium, endemic to the
Teide volcano on
Tenerife, the
Franciscan wallflower E. franciscanum, endemic to the northern
California coast, the
Sierra Nevada wallflower E. nevadense, endemic to the
Sierra Nevada of Spain,
E. moranii from
Guadalupe Island (Mexico), and the
endangered Santa Cruz wallflower E. teretifolium, endemic to the inland sandhills of
Santa Cruz County, California.
Erysimum kykkoticum, found only on
Cyprus, is nearly
extinct.
Ecology
Erysimum species are used as food plants by the
larvae of some
Lepidoptera species including the
Garden Carpet (
Xanthorhoe fluctuata). In addition, some species of weevils, like
Ceutorhynchus chlorophanus, live inside the fruits feeding on the developing seeds. Many species of beetles, bugs and grasshoppers eat on the leaves and stalks. Some
mammalian herbivores, for example Mule Deer (
Odocoileus hemionus), Red Deer (
Cervus elaphus), or Spanish Ibex (
Capra pyrenaica), feed on wallflower flowering and fruiting stalks.
Wallflowers are pollinator-generalists, their flowers being visited by many different species of bees, bee flies, hoverflies, butterflies, beetles, and ants.
Selected species
Cultivation
Most wallflower garden
cultivars (for example
Erysimum 'Chelsea Jacket') are derived from
E. cheiri (often placed in
Cheiranthus), from southern
Europe. Growth is best in dry soils with very good drainage, and they're often grown successfully in loose
wall mortar, hence the vernacular name. Their flowers are often purple or brown.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Wallflower'.
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