Alyssum L.

Madwort (en), Alysson au sens large (fr)

Genus

Angiosperms > Brassicales > Brassicaceae

Characteristics

Herbs annual, biennial, perennial, or rarely subshrubs. Trichomes stellate, stalked or sessile, with 2-6 minute basal branches from which originate up to 30, simple or branched rays, sometimes trichomes lepidote, rarely mixed with simple and forked. Stems erect or decumbent, simple or branched. Basal leaves petiolate or sessile, rosulate or not rosulate, simple, entire. Cauline leaves petiolate or sessile, cuneate or attenuate, not auriculate, entire. Racemes few to many flowered, dense or lax, ebracteate, corymbose or in panicles, elongated or not in fruit. Fruiting pedicels ascending, divaricate, or reflexed. Sepals ovate or oblong, base of lateral pair not saccate. Petals yellow, white, or rarely pink; blade suborbicular, obovate, or spatulate, apex obtuse or emarginate, glabrous or pubescent outside. Stamens 6, tetradynamous; filaments wingless or uni-or bilaterally winged, appendaged or not, toothed or toothless; anthers ovate or oblong, apiculate or not at apex. Nectar glands 4, lateral, 1 on each side of lateral stamen; median glands absent. Ovules 1 or 2(or 4-8) per ovary; placentation apical or parietal. Fruit dehiscent silicles, oblong, ovate, obovate, elliptic, obcordate, or rarely globose, strongly latiseptate or rarely inflated, sessile; valves veinless, pubescent or glabrous, smooth; replum rounded; septum complete, membranous, translucent, veinless; style distinct; stigma capitate, entire. Seeds biseriate, winged or wingless, orbicular or ovate, flattened; seed coat smooth or minutely reticulate, mucilaginous or not when wetted; cotyledons accumbent or incumbent.
More
Annuals or perennials [biennials, subshrubs]; not scapose; trichomes sessile, stellate, with 2-6 minute basal branches (branches as many as 3-25), rays branched or not, sometimes trichomes simple [lepidote]. Stems erect, ascending, or decumbent, unbranched or branched. Leaves basal and cauline; petiolate or sessile; basal rosulate or not, petiolate or sessile, blade margins entire; cauline petiolate or sessile, blade (base cuneate or attenuate), margins entire. Racemes (few-to several-flowered, sometimes corymbose or paniculate). Fruiting pedicels ascending, divaricate, or reflexed, slender or stout. Flowers: sepals ovate or oblong, lateral pair not saccate; petals yellow or white [rarely pink], suborbicular, spatulate, oblanceolate, linear-oblanceolate, or, obovate (apex obtuse or emarginate); stamens tetradynamous; filaments not winged, uni-or bilaterally winged, appendaged, or toothed; anthers ovate or oblong; nectar glands (4), 1 on each side of lateral stamen, median glands absent; (placentation apical or parietal). Fruits sessile, ovate-oblong, obovate, or elliptic [obcordate, rarely globose], usually strongly flattened, latiseptate, rarely inflated; valves each not veined (smooth), pubescent or glabrous; replum (visible), rounded; septum complete, (membranous, translucent, veinless); ovules 1 or 2 [or 4-8] per ovary; stigma capitate. Seeds biseriate or aseriate, flattened, winged or not, orbicular or suborbicular to ovoid; seed coat (smooth or minutely reticulate), mucilaginous or not when wetted; cotyledons accumbent or incumbent.
Annual to perennial, taprooted herbs. Hairs branched or stellate, rarely mixed with unbranched hairs, rarely scaly. Stems decumbent to erect, leafy. Lvs simple; margin entire. Racemes ebracteate. Sepals erecto-patent, not saccate. Petals yellow, entire, emarginate or 2-fid. Stamens 6, usually appendaged. Lateral nectaries 4, rounded to filiform on both sides of short stamens; median nectaries 0. Style short; stigma capitate or emarginate. Silicle orbicular or obovate, usually emarginate, inflated or flat, latiseptate, dehiscent; valves usually not veined or with faint median vein. Seeds flattened, usually winged, 1-2-(6) per locule, loosely arranged.
Pet yellow, varying to white, gradually narrowed to the base; short filaments flanked by a single gland on each side; anthers short and blunt; ovary short, compressed; ovules 1–8 per locule; style slender but short; fr elliptic to orbicular, flattened parallel to the septum, each locule with a few seeds; herbs with entire or serrate lvs; ± pubescent with stellate hairs. 170, mainly Eurasia.
Annual herbs, hoary-tomentose. Sepals equal. Petals clawed. Stamens appendiculate. Nectariferous glands semiglobular, triangular or filiform on both sides of short stamens. Stigma capitate or emarginate. Silicula dehiscent, latisept, without prominent veins. Seeds 4–6 per locule, winged.
Life form
Growth form herb
Growth support -
Foliage retention -
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) -
Root system tap-root
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 4-9

Usage

Uses -
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) 7 - 14
Germination temperacture (C°) 12 - 23
Germination luminosity light
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Alyssum unspecified picture
Alyssum unspecified picture

Distribution

Alyssum world distribution map, present in Australia, China, New Zealand, and United States of America

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:60433920-2
WFO ID wfo-4000001442
COL ID T5G
BDTFX ID 84864
INPN ID 189013
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Gamosepalum Alyssum Alysson Adyseton

Lower taxons

Alyssum pirinicum Alyssum anamense Alyssum andinum Alyssum argyrophyllum Alyssum collinum Alyssum contemptum Alyssum cuneifolium Alyssum dasycarpum Alyssum desertorum Alyssum doerfleri Alyssum dudleyi Alyssum flexicaule Alyssum lanceolatum Alyssum lenense Alyssum lepidotostellatum Alyssum lepidotum Alyssum luteolum Alyssum moellendorfianum Alyssum musilii Alyssum nezaketiae Alyssum niveum Alyssum paphlagonicum Alyssum pseudomouradicum Alyssum pulvinare Alyssum repens Alyssum rhodanense Alyssum scutigerum Alyssum serpyllifolium Alyssum siculum Alyssum simulans Alyssum stapfii Alyssum strictum Alyssum strigosum Alyssum tetrastemon Alyssum thymops Alyssum tortuosum Alyssum trichocarpum Alyssum wulfenianum Alyssum artwinense Alyssum aurantiacum Alyssum baldaccii Alyssum dagestanicum Alyssum gustavssonii Alyssum hajastanum Alyssum handelii Alyssum harputicum Alyssum hirsutum Alyssum idaeum Alyssum iljinskae Alyssum klimesii Alyssum kurdicum Alyssum lycaonicum Alyssum macropodum Alyssum mouradicum Alyssum mozaffarianii Alyssum muellerii Alyssum ochroleucum Alyssum orophilum Alyssum pogonocarpum Alyssum praecox Alyssum reiseri Alyssum szovitsianum Alyssum taygeteum Alyssum tenium Alyssum wierzbickii Alyssum misirdalianum Alyssum aizoides Alyssum alpestre Alyssum armenum Alyssum atlanticum Alyssum bornmuelleri Alyssum bosniacum Alyssum bulbotrichum Alyssum baumgartnerianum Alyssum blancheanum Alyssum caespitosum Alyssum calycocarpum Alyssum cephalotes Alyssum corningii Alyssum diffusum Alyssum erosulum Alyssum fastigiatum Alyssum foliosum Alyssum fulvescens Alyssum macrocalyx Alyssum minutum Alyssum rostratum Alyssum persicum Alyssum propinquum Alyssum trichostachyum Alyssum turkestanicum Alyssum umbellatum Alyssum musili Alyssum stribryni Alyssum bargalense Alyssum lepidoto-stellatum Alyssum wierzbicki Alyssum subbaicalicum Alyssum wulfenianum Alyssum globosum Alyssum granatense Alyssum cacuminum Alyssum hezarmasjedense Alyssum neglectum Alyssum pluscanescens Alyssum amasianum Alyssum gallaecicum Alyssum mazandaranicum Alyssum kaynakiae Alyssum hakaszkii Alyssum damascenum Alyssum degenianum Alyssum sulphureum Alyssum vernale Alyssum xanthocarpum Alyssum lassiticum Alyssum austrodalmaticum Alyssum dimorphosepalum Alyssum iranicum Alyssum smyrnaeum Alyssum sphacioticum Alyssum spruneri Alyssum simplex Alyssum montanum Alyssum loiseleurii Alyssum alyssoides