Arabis

For other uses, see Arabis (disambiguation).
Arabis
Arabis ferdinandi-coburgii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Brassicales
Family: Brassicaceae
Genus: Arabis
L.
Species

See text

Arabis /ˈɛərəbᵻs/,[1] or rockcress, is a genus of flowering plants, within the family Brassicaceae, subfamily Brassicoideae.

Description

The species are herbaceous, annual or perennial plants, growing to 10–80 cm tall, usually densely hairy, with simple entire to lobed leaves 1–6 cm long, and small white four-petalled flowers. The fruit is a long, slender capsule containing 10-20 or more seeds.

Arabis procurrens flowers
Arabis blepharophylla
Siliques of Arabis turrita

Taxonomy

Though traditionally recognized as a large genus with many Old World and New World members, more recent evaluations of the relationships among these species using genetic data suggest there are two major groups within the old genus Arabis. These two groups are not each other's closest relatives, so have been split into two separate genera. Most of the Old World members remain in the genus Arabis, whereas most of the New World members have been moved into the genus Boechera, with only a few remaining in Arabis.[2][3]

Species

Selected species

Cultivation

Some species, notably A. alpina, are cultivated as ornamental plants in gardens. Many others are regarded as weeds.

References

  1. ↑ Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
  2. ↑ Al-Shehbaz, Ihsan. Transfer of most North American species of Arabis to Boechera (Brassicaceae). Novon 13: 381-391 (2003)
  3. ↑ Al-Shehbaz, Ihsan. Nomenclatural Notes on Eurasian Arabis (Brassicaceae). Novon 15: 519-524 (2005)

External links

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