Erysimum insulare
Encyclopedia
Erysimum insulare is a species of wallflower
known by the common name island wallflower. It is endemic to coast of southern California
, including the Channel Islands
. Erysimum insulare grows on coastal bluffs and sand dunes
.
producing a branching, erect stem 5 to 60 centimeters tall. It is lined with many hairy leaves which are linear to widely lance-shaped. The longest leaves near the base of the stem may be up to 15 centimeters long. The top of the stem is occupied by a raceme
inflorescence
of many bright yellow to yellow-orange flowers. The fruit is a silique
up to 10 centimeters long.
There are two subspecies of this plant:
Wallflower
Erysimum is a genus that includes about 180 species, both popular garden plants and many wild forms. The genus Cheiranthus is sometimes included herein whole or in part. Erysimum has recently adscribed to a monogeneric cruciferous tribe, Erysimeae...
known by the common name island wallflower. It is endemic to coast of southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, including the Channel Islands
Channel Islands of California
The Channel Islands of California are a chain of eight islands located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California along the Santa Barbara Channel in the United States of America...
. Erysimum insulare grows on coastal bluffs and sand dunes
Dune
In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by wind. Dunes occur in different forms and sizes, formed by interaction with the wind. Most kinds of dunes are longer on the windward side where the sand is pushed up the dune and have a shorter "slip face" in the lee of the wind...
.
Description
Erysimum insulare is a perennial herb or subshrubShrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
producing a branching, erect stem 5 to 60 centimeters tall. It is lined with many hairy leaves which are linear to widely lance-shaped. The longest leaves near the base of the stem may be up to 15 centimeters long. The top of the stem is occupied by a raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
of many bright yellow to yellow-orange flowers. The fruit is a silique
Silique
A silique or siliqua is a fruit of 2 fused carpels with the length being more than three times the width. The outer walls of the ovary usually separate when ripe, leaving a persistent partition...
up to 10 centimeters long.
There are two subspecies of this plant:
- most individuals belonging to ssp. suffrutescens.
- the rare ssp. insulare is limited to three of the Channel Islands.