Erysimum hieraciifolium L.

Erysimum species are annual, biennial or perennial herbs. Rootstocks taproot. Trichomes 2-5 rayed stellate, medifixed, forked, appressed, sessile. Stem erect, leafy, simple or usually branched from the base, sometimes branched above, pubescent, rarely glabrous. Basal leaves simple, in rosulate or not, lanceolate to obovate, base cuneate to attenuate, margin entire, dentate or pinnatifid, apex acute to obtuse, petiole short to sessile, cauline leaves, base cuneate, attenuate or rarely auriculate, margins entire or shallow dentate, petiole sessile or subsessile. Inflorescence raceme corymbs, few to many flowered, elongated or not in fruit, ebracteate or bracteate in lowermost flowers, rarely entirely bracteate. Flowers bisexual, yellow, purplish, pink, orange, violet or white, actinomorphic, pedicel erect, thick or slender, ascending, reflex or divaricate, sepals 4, subequal, erect, oblong, lateral pair base saccate or not, apex obtuse, petals 4, obovate-spathulate to suborbicular, base cuneate, margin entire, apex obtuse or emarginate, claw differentiated. Stamens 6, tetradynamous, filaments simple, anthers linear-oblong, nectar glands 2 to 4, confluent and subtending bases of stamens, median glands present or absent. Ovary superior, linear, ellipsoid-cylindrical, sessile, bicarpellary, syncarpous, pubescent, ovules 10-100. Fruit siliqua or rarely silicles, dehiscent, linear-ellipsoid to ovoid-linear, compressed, terete, quadrangular, angustiseptate, latiseptate, valves 1 veined flat, veins obscure or distinct, septum complete, style obsolete, stigma capitate, bilobed or entire. Seeds 5-20, uniseriate or biseriate, compressed or not, brown, oblong-ovoid, winged, minutely reticulate, mucilaginous when soaked, cotyledons usually incumbent rarely accumbent.

Erysimum species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: May—June.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Erect biennial herbs, about 25-75 cm tall. Rootstocks woody, branched taproot. Trichomes 2-4 rayed stellate, forked, appressed. Stem erect, leafy, simple or usually branched from the base, pubescent with malpighiaceous 2 rayed trichomes. Basal leaves simple in rosulate, withered by the time of the flowering, oblanceolate-elliptic to oblong, about 30-75 x 4-10 mm across, base cuneate, margin entire or obscurely denticulate, apex acute, pubescent with 3-4 rayed trichomes both above and beneath, petiole about 1-3.5 cm long, cauline leaves almost similar to the basal leaves, smaller and linear elliptic, base cuneate, margins entire or obscurely denticulate, apex acute, petiole subsessile to sessile towards the shoot. Inflorescence raceme corymbs, densely 10-50 flowered, ebracteate. Flowers bisexual, yellow to orange, about 8-10 mm across, pedicel erect or slightly curved, ascending, narrower than the fruit, pubescent with 2 rayed trichomes, about 3-6 mm long, about 7-10 mm long in fruit, sepals 4, subequal, erect, oblong, lateral pair base not saccate, apex obtuse, about 4-7 mm long, petals 4, obovate, base cuneate, margin entire, apex obtuse, about 7-10 x 2-3 mm across, claw differentiated, about 5-8 mm long. Stamens 6, tetradynamous, median filaments, about 4-6 mm long, anthers linear-oblong, about 2 mm long. Ovary superior, linear, ellipsoid-cylindrical, sessile, bicarpellary, syncarpous, ovules about 40-60. Fruit siliqua, dehiscent, linear-subcylindrical, compressed, terete, quadrangular, slightly curved, latiseptate, about 15-40 x 1-1.2 mm across, valves with prominent midrib, veins distinct, septum complete, puberulent with 3-4 rayed trichomes and few 2 rayed ones, style slender about 1-2 mm long, stigma capitate, bilobed. Seeds brown, oblong-ovoid, not winged, about 1-1.5 mm long, minutely reticulate, mucilaginous when soaked.

Erysimum species are susceptible to various insect pests, virus, mildews and moulds.

Roadsides, along river banks, rocky and grassy slopes, altitude 2000-3800 m.

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Tender leaves and shoots used as vegetable, cultivated as ornamental.