''Hesperis'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family
Brassicaceae
Brassicaceae () or (the older) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. Most are herbaceous plants, while some are shrubs. The leav ...
. Most are native to Eurasia, with several
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
&
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
. Many plants of this genus bear showy, fragrant flowers in shades of purple and white. One of the more widely known species is the common garden flower ''
Hesperis matronalis
''Hesperis matronalis'' is an herbaceous plant species in the family Brassicaceae. It has numerous common names, including dame's rocket, damask-violet, dame's-violet, dames-wort, dame's gilliflower, night-scented gilliflower, queen's gilliflo ...
''.
The
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
name ''Hesperis'' was probably given because the scent of the flowers becomes more conspicuous towards evening (''Hespera'' is the Greek word for evening).
Species include:
Turkish Plants Species List
*'' Hesperis anatolica''
*'' Hesperis armena''
*'' Hesperis aspera''
*'' Hesperis balansae''
*'' Hesperis bicuspidata''
*'' Hesperis bottae''
*'' Hesperis dinarica''
*'' Hesperis kitiana''
*'' Hesperis kotschyana''
*'' Hesperis hyrcana''
*'' Hesperis laciniata''
*''Hesperis matronalis
''Hesperis matronalis'' is an herbaceous plant species in the family Brassicaceae. It has numerous common names, including dame's rocket, damask-violet, dame's-violet, dames-wort, dame's gilliflower, night-scented gilliflower, queen's gilliflo ...
''
*'' Hesperis pendula''
*'' Hesperis persica''
*'' Hesperis pisidica''
*'' Hesperis podocarpa''
*'' Hesperis rupestris''
*'' Hesperis scabrida''
*'' Hesperis schischkinii''
*'' Hesperis sibirica''
*'' Hesperis slovaca''
*'' Hesperis trullata''
*'' Hesperis turkmendagensis''
*'' Hesperis varolii''
Classical Literature Sources
Classical literature source for the plant Hesperis:
Pliny, ''Natural History'' 21. 18 ff (trans. Bostock & Riley) (Roman historian C1st AD)
References
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External links
Jepson Manual Treatment
Brassicaceae
Brassicaceae genera
{{Brassicales-stub