''Iberis'' , commonly called candytuft, is a

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 ...

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 belonging to the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

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 ...

. It comprises

annual Annual may refer to: *Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year ** Yearbook ** Literary annual *Annual plant *Annual report *Annual giving *Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco *Annuals (band), ...

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

perennial 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 wid ...

s and subshrubs

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to the Old World. The name "candytuft" is not related to candy, but derives from ''Candia'', the former name of

Iraklion Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a population of 211,370 (Urban Ar ...

on the Island of Crete. In the

language of flowers Floriography (language of flowers) is a means of cryptological communication through the use or arrangement of flowers. Meaning has been attributed to flowers for thousands of years, and some form of floriography has been practiced in tradition ...

, the candytuft symbolizes indifference.

Species

''Iberis'' consists of about 30 species of annuals, perennials and evergreen subshrubs. Some of the better known are: ''

Iberis amara ''Iberis amara'', called wild candytuft, rocket candytuft and bitter candytuft, is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae Brassicaceae () or (the older) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important family of flow ...

'' - rocket candytuft, bitter candytuft, wild candytuft
'' Iberis ciliata''
'' Iberis gibraltarica'' - Gibraltar candytuft
'' Iberis linifolia''
'' Iberis procumbens'' - dune candytuft
'' Iberis saxatilis'' - rock candytuft
'' Iberis sempervirens'' - evergreen candytuft, perennial candytuft
'' Iberis umbellata'' - globe candytuft They are used as ornamental plants for rock gardens, bedding, and borders in full sun or light shade.

Trophic connections

These plants provide nourishment for a number of insect species of which the rare '' Euchloe tagis'' butterfly is the most striking example as it is monophagous on species in this genus.

Biochemical defenses

Species in the genus ''Iberis'' contain not only

glucosinolates Glucosinolates are natural components of many pungent plants such as mustard, cabbage, and horseradish. The pungency of those plants is due to mustard oils produced from glucosinolates when the plant material is chewed, cut, or otherwise damaged. T ...

, which are characteristic chemical defenses of the

plant family, but also cucurbitacins, which are better known as chemical defenses in the

Cucurbitaceae The Cucurbitaceae, also called cucurbits or the gourd family, are a plant family consisting of about 965 species in around 95 genera, of which the most important to humans are: *''Cucurbita'' – squash, pumpkin, zucchini, some gourds *'' Lagen ...

plant family. Cucurbitacins from ''Iberis amara'' have antifeedant activity against the

-feeding specialist ''

Pieris rapae ''Pieris rapae'' is a small- to medium-sized butterfly species of the whites-and-yellows family Pieridae. It is known in Europe as the small white, in North America as the cabbage white or cabbage butterfly, on several continents as the small c ...

'' ( cabbage butterfly). Cucurbitacins from '' Iberis umbellata'' ( globe candytuft) are

ecdysteroid Ecdysteroids are arthropod steroid hormones that are mainly responsible for molting, development and, to a lesser extent, reproduction; examples of ecdysteroids include ecdysone, ecdysterone, turkesterone and 2-deoxyecdysone. These compounds are ...

antagonists, acting on the

receptor of

insects Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs of j ...

References

External links

More information at Texas A&M
Brassicaceae genera Medicinal plants {{Brassicales-stub