Erysimum cheiri, syn. Cheiranthus cheiri, the wallflower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae (Cruciferae), native to Greece, but widespread as an introduced species elsewhere. It is also treated as a hybrid under the name Erysimum × cheiri. It is widely cultivated as a garden plant.
Name
The common name "wallflower" attaches to all cultivars of this plant, as well as other species within the genus Erysimum and the former genus Cheiranthus.
Description
Growing as garden plant
This is a herbaceous perennial, often grown as a biennial, with one or more highly branching stems reaching heights of 15–80 cm (6–31 in). The leaves are generally narrow and pointed and may be up to 20 cm (8 in) long. The upright to ascending shoot axes can lignify in the lower area. The lower leaves are in a rosette and have a short stalk. The leaf blade is up to 10 centimeters long, lanceolate and has double-stranded hair. The leaves along the stem axis are crowded, much smaller and almost sessile.
The top of the stem is occupied by a club-shaped inflorescence of 10 to 30 strongly scented, nectar-bearing flowers, the crown of which is yellow to brown or reddish in color due to the interaction of the red anthocyanin cyanidin with various carotenoids, and golden yellow in the wild form. Each flower has purplish-green sepals and rounded petals which are two to three centimeters long and in shades of bright yellows to reds and purples. The flowers are quite large with a diameter of 20, rarely up to 25 millimeters. The scar is deeply bilobed, the lobes are later curved back. Pollination is carried out by bees and bumblebees.
The flowers fall away to leave long fruits which are narrow, hairy siliques several centimeters in length. The upright pod is hairy,
Inflorescence
The top of the stem is occupied by a club-shaped inflorescence of 10 to 30 strongly scented, nectar-bearing flowers, the crown of which is yellow to brown or reddish in color due...
