Phil Bendle Collection:Erysimum cheiri (Wallflower)

Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Brassicales
Family: Brassicaceae
Genus: Erysimum
Species: E. cheiri
Binomial name: Erysimum cheiri
Synonyms: Cheiranthus cheiri, Erysimum suffruticosum
Common names: Wallflower, Common wallflower, Bleeding heart

Erysimum cheiri is a species of herbaceous, perennial flowering subshrub in the family Brassicaceae. It native to southern Europe but widespread as an introduced species elsewhere. In New Zealand, it is grown as an ornamental plant but it has escaped and now grows wild. It can tolerate maritime exposure and hence wild plants can be found in coastal conditions.
Erysimum cheiri is a short-lived, evergreen perennial, often grown as a biennial, with one or more highly branching stems reaching heights of 15–80 cm. The dark-green leaves are generally narrow and pointed and can be up to 20 cm long. In spring the top of the stem is occupied by a club-shaped inflorescence of strongly scented four-petaled flowers. Each bright flower has purplish-green sepals and rounded petals which are two to three centimetres long. The flowers are mostly bright yellow or yellow-orange to brown, but sometimes appear reddish purple to burgundy. The flowers fall away to leave hairy, narrow pendant, dehiscent seed pods (siliques) that are several centimetres long.
Many cultivars have been developed, in a wide range of colours from cream to dark red.

Erysimum cheiri growing wild on coastal bank north of Kaikoura

Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

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