Iberis L.

Tutin, T. G., Heywood, V. H., Burges, N. A., Moore, D. M., Valentine, D. H., Walters, S. M. & Webb, D. A., 1964, Flora Europaea - Volume 1. Lycopodiaceae to Platanaceae, Cambridge University Press : 322-323

77. Iberis L. 3

Annual or perennial herbs, rarely dwarf shrubs; glabrous or with unbranched hairs. Inflorescence corymbose or racemose, often elongating in fruit. Sepals not saccate; petals white, pink or purple, the 2 outer much larger than the 2 inner; median nectaries absent. Fruit an angustiseptate silicula; valves keeled and usually winged at the apex; style long; stigma capitate. Seeds solitary in each loculus, often winged.

Usually found in calcareous habitats.

The following key refers to well-developed plants only. The perennials sometimes flower in the first year and may then appear to be annual. 1 Silicula much wider than long; flowering in winter

1. semperflorens 1 Silicula longer than wide or suborbicular; flowering in spring and summer

2 Perennials with woody or herbaceous stems, usually with nonflowering rosettes

3 Siliculae in racemes

4 Leaves 2-5-5 mm wide, oblong-spathulate, flat, obtuse; flowering stems lateral 2. sempervirens 4 Leaves 1-2 mm wide, linear, semi-cylindrical on the nonflowering shoots, ±flat on the flowering stems, acute, mucronulate; flowering stems terminal 3. saxatilis 3 Siliculae in corymbs

5 Plants 10-40 cm, usually with erect stems (low altitudes, up to 800 m)

6 Cauline leaves linear to narrowly linear-spathulate, entire

(cf. also 14. ciliata ) 4. linifolia 6 Cauline leaves ± broadly spathulate, usually with a few teeth at apex

7 Corymbs 20-25 mm in diameter; outer petals 8-10 mm; cauline leaves up to 6 mm wide 8. procumbens 7 Corymbs up to 40-50 mm in diameter; outer petals 15-

18 mm; cauline leaves up to 12 mm wide 9. gibraltarica 5Dwarf plants up to 15 cm, usually diffuse with ascending stems (from high mountains, 800-2800 m)

8 Silicula 6-8 mm, rectangular-elliptical, with wide, erect, acute lobes 5. pruitii 8 Silicula 3-5 mm, broadly ovate

9 Silicula with short, convergent, ± obtuse lobes 6. spathulata 9 Silicula with acute, very divergent lobes 7. aurosica 2 Annuals, without non-flowering rosettes

10 Siliculae in racemes

11 Leaves all pinnatifid to dentate (rarely entire), narrowly cuneate; silicula 3-5 mm 10. amara 11 Upper leaves entire, linear-lanceolate to linear, acuminate, silicula 6-9 mm 11. intermedia 10 Siliculae in corymbs

12 Silicula with irregularly serrulate lobes 15. fontqueri 12 Silicula with entire lobes

13 Leaves entire or shallowly toothed

14 Leaves linear-spathulate to obovate-spathulate

15 Lower cauline leaves at least 3 mm wide, obovateoblong to oblong-spathulate, often toothed 5. pruitii 15 Lower cauline leaves not more than 3 mm wide, linear-spathulate 14. ciliata 14 Leaves narrowly linear to linear-lanceolate

16 Silicula 3-5 mm, with small acute divergent lobes forming a shallow notch; leaves narrowly linear

12. strida 16 Silicula 7-10 mm, with erect acuminate lobes forming an acute deep notch; leaves linear-lanceolate

13. umbellata 13 Leaves all, or at least the lower ones, pectinate-toothed, pinnatifid or pinnatisect with linear segments

17 Stems erect, branched above; flowering-branches long, straight, leafless; corymbs convex

18 Leaves pinnatifid or pinnatisect with linear segments; silicula glabrous; plant rugose-papillose or scarcely pubescent 16. pinnata 18 Leaves pectinate-toothed; silicula papillose-verrucose; plant hispid 17. crenata 17 Stems diffuse and branched from the base; flowering branches flexuous and leafy, or leafless for a short distance only; corymbs flat

19 Lower leaves pinnatifid, with 1-2 pairs of segments; outer petals scarcely radiate 18. odorata 19 Lower leaves regularly pectinate-pinnatifid, with 3-4 pairs of segments; outer petals distinctly radiate

19. sampaiana