Scientific name Arabis Rank Genus | Higher classification Cabbage family | |
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Lower classifications Arabis alpina, Arabis glabra, Arabis procurrens, Arabis blepharophylla, Arabis macdonaldiana | ||
Arabis garden plants
Arabis /ˈɛərəbᵻs/, or rockcress, is a genus of flowering plants, within the family Brassicaceae, subfamily Brassicoideae.
Contents
Gardening tips how to grow rock cress arabis
Description
The species are herbaceous, annual or perennial plants, growing to 10–80 cm tall, usually densely hairy, with simple entire to lobed leaves 1–6 cm long, and small white four-petalled flowers. The fruit is a long, slender capsule containing 10-20 or more seeds.
Taxonomy
Though traditionally recognized as a large genus with many Old World and New World 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.
Species
Cultivation
Some species, notably A. alpina, are cultivated as ornamental plants in gardens. Many others are regarded as weeds.
