Aubrieta is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of about 12 species of flower

Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...

ing plant

Plant

Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...

s in the cabbage family Brassicaceae

Brassicaceae

Brassicaceae, a medium sized and economically important family of flowering plants , are informally known as the mustards, mustard flowers, the crucifers or the cabbage family....

. The genus is named after Claude Aubriet

Claude Aubriet

Claude Aubriet was a French illustrator and botanical artist who was born in Châlons-sur-Marne.Aubriet was a botanical artist who worked at the Jardin du Roi in Paris. His work attracted the attention of botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort , who commissioned Aubriet as illustrator of Tournefort's...

, a French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 flower-painter. It originates from southern Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 east to central Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

 but is now a common garden escape throughout Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

. It is a low, spreading plant, hardy, evergreen and perennial

Perennial plant

A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...

, with small violet, pink or white flower

Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...

s, and inhabits rocks and banks. It prefers light, well-drained soil

Soil

Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...

, is tolerant of a wide pH

PH

In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...

 range, and can grow in partial shade or full sun.

Species

• Aubrieta alba
• Aubrieta canescens
• Aubrieta columnae
• Aubrieta x cultorum - Large-flowered Aubrieta
• Aubrieta deltoidea
  Aubrieta deltoidea
  Aubrieta deltoidea is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family. Common names include Lilacbush, Purple Rock Cress and Rainbow Rock Cress....
  
  - Common Aubrieta, Wallcress (N.Am.)
• Aubrieta erubescens
• Aubrieta glabrescens
• Aubrieta gracilis
• Aubrieta libanotica
• Aubrieta olympica
• Aubrieta parviflora
• Aubrieta pinardii
• Aubrieta variegata