Aethionema syn. Eunomia is a genus of flowering plants, within the family Brassicaceae, subfamily Brassicoideae. The genus is collectively known as the stonecresses. They originate from sunny limestone mountainsides in Europe and West Asia, especially Turkey.

Etymology

The Latin name derives from ancient Greek αἴθειν "to light up, kindle" + νῆμα "thread, yarn". The English name "stonecress" derives from its creeping habit and its favoured stony or rocky sites.^[1]

Cultivation

Aethionema species are cultivated in temperate areas as herbaceous perennials. They 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.^[2] The hybrid cultivar 'Warley Rose' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.^[3]

Species include:

• Aethionema antitaurus
• Aethionema cordifolia: Lebanon stonecress
• Aethionema grandiflorum: Persian stonecress
• Aethionema iberideum
• Aethionema oppositifolium
• Aethionema retsina
• Aethionema saxatile (syn. Aurinia saxatilis)^[4]
• Aethionema thomasianum

References

1. ^ Shorter Oxford English dictionary, 6th ed.. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. 2007. pp. 3804. ISBN 0199206872.
2. ^ RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. pp. 1136. ISBN 1405332964.
3. ^ http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=71
4. ^ "Aethionema saxatile". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=565717.

This Brassicales article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e