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

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s belonging to the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Brassicaceae Brassicaceae () or (the older but equally valid) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important Family (biology), family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. Most are herbaceous pla ...

. It comprises annuals,

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

s and

subshrub A subshrub (Latin ''suffrutex'') or undershrub is either a small shrub (e.g. prostrate shrubs) or a perennial that is largely herbaceous but slightly woody at the base (e.g. garden pink and florist's chrysanthemum). The term is often interch ...

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

to the Old World. The name "candytuft" is not related to candy, but derives from ''Candia'', the former name of Iraklion 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'' - 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 ''Euchloe tagis'', the Portuguese dappled white, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It ranges through southern Europe where it is found from Portugal to northwestern Italy and northern Africa (there are local populations in Morocco and Alg ...

'' 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 dama ...

, 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 (biology), family consisting of about 965 species in 101 genera.

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

-feeding specialist '' Pieris rapae'' ( cabbage butterfly). Cucurbitacins from '' Iberis umbellata'' ( globe candytuft) are

ecdysteroid Ecdysteroids are arthropod steroid hormones that are mainly responsible for molting (ecdysis), development and, to a lesser extent, reproduction; examples of ecdysteroids include ecdysone, 20-hydroxyecdysone (ecdysterone), turkesterone and 2- ...

antagonists, acting on the

receptor of

insects Insects (from Latin ') are 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 jointed ...

References

External links

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