''Arabis'' ,''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607 or rockcress, is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s, within the family Brassicaceae.

Description

The species are

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

, annual or

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

s, growing to 10–80 cm tall, usually densely hairy, with simple entire to lobed

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

1–6 cm long, and small white four-petaled

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

is a long, slender capsule containing 10-20 or more

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s. Natural habitat for ''Arabis'' species is rocky mountain/cliff sides or dry sites. Cultivation of ''Arabis'' is best suited for rock gardens or container gardens. This genus is pollinated by members of Apieae and Lepidoptera. Arabis aculeolata 4642

Taxonomy

Though traditionally recognized as a large genus with many

Old World The "Old World" is a term for Afro-Eurasia that originated in Europe , after Europeans became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia, which were previously thought of by the ...

and

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...

members, more recent evaluations of the relationships among these species using genetic data suggest there are two major groups within the old genus ''Arabis''. These two groups are not each other's closest relatives, so have been split into two separate genera. Most of the Old World members remain in the genus ''Arabis'', whereas most of the New World members have been moved into the genus '' Boechera'', with only a few remaining in ''Arabis''.Al-Shehbaz, Ihsan. Nomenclatural Notes on Eurasian Arabis (Brassicaceae). Novon 15: 519-524 (2005)

Species

;Selected species *'' Arabis aculeolata'' *''

Arabis alpina ''Arabis alpina'', the Alpine rock-cress, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae, native to mountainous areas of Europe, North and East Africa, Central and Eastern Asia and parts of North America. In the British Isles, it is only known t ...

'' (alpine rockcress) *''

Arabis armena ''Arabis armena'', the Armenian rockcress, is a species of rockcress that is found in Armenia and Nakhichevan (Azerbaijan). It grows at mid- and high-altitudes. It is threatened by the trampling of cattle. See also * List of ''Arabis'' spe ...

'' (Armenian rockcress) *''

Arabis auriculata ''Arabis auriculata'' is a herbaceous, flowering plant from the family Brassicaceae. It flowers from March to July. Besides the type form, René Maire described the ''Arabis auriculata'' f. ''umbrosa'' form. The species '' Draba nuda'' has been ...

'' *'' Arabis blepharophylla'' (coast rockcress) *''

Arabis caucasica ''Arabis caucasica'' is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family (Brassicaceae) known by the common names garden arabis, mountain rock cress or Caucasian rockcress. Distribution It is native to south eastern Europe and the Mediterranea ...

'' *''

Arabis cypria ''Arabis cypria'' is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae, endemic to mountainous areas of Northern Cyprus. Description ''Arabis cypria'' is a tufted perennial to 25 cm, the basal leaves softly hairy, in dense rosettes, spoon-shap ...

'' *''

Arabis glabra ''Arabis glabra'', commonly known as tower rockcress or tower mustard, is a tall, slim, grey-green plant with small creamy flowers at the top of the stem. It usually grows on poor chalky or sandy soils, in open situations. It is native to Europe, ...

'' (tower mustard) *''

Arabis hirsuta ''Arabis hirsuta'', known as hairy rock-cress, is a flowering plant of the genus ''Arabis'' in the family Brassicaceae Brassicaceae () or (the older) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important family of flowering plants commonl ...

'' (hairy rockcress) *''

Arabis kazbegi ''Arabis kazbegi'', the Kazbegian rockcress, is a species of rockcress that is endemic to Georgia, and is known from Mtiuleti, the Devdaraki glacier, Mount Sabertse and Mount Kuro. It grows in subalpine and alpine moraines and scree at elevation ...

'' (Kazbegian rockcress) *''

Arabis kennedyae ''Arabis kennedyae'', the Troodos rockcress, is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is endemic to Cyprus. Its natural habitat is Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruc ...

'' *''

Arabis lemmonii ''Arabis lemmonii'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common name Lemmon's rockcress. It is native to western North America from Alaska to California to Colorado, where it grows in a number of rocky habitat t ...

'' *''

Arabis macdonaldiana ''Arabis macdonaldiana'' is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name MacDonald's rockcress. It is native to northern California and Oregon, where it grows on newly exposed, barren serpentine soils in openings in ...

'' *'' Arabis procurrens'' (spreading rock cress) *'' Arabis pycnocarpa'' (slender rock cress) *'' Arabis scabra'' (Bristol rockcress) *'' Arabis serotina''

Cultivation

Some species, notably ''Arabis alpina'', are cultivated as

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

s in

garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate both ...

s. Many others are regarded as weeds.

References

External links

Natural History Museum
{{Taxonbar, from=Q157396 Brassicaceae genera