Iberis Explained

Iberis,[1] commonly called candytuft, is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Brassicaceae. It comprises annuals, evergreen perennials and subshrubs native to the Old World.[2] The name "candytuft" is not related to candy, but derives from Candia, the former name of Iraklion on the Island of Crete.[3]

In the language of flowers, the candytuft symbolizes indifference.[4]

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 butterfly is the most striking example as it is monophagous on species in this genus. [5] [6]

Biochemical defenses

Species in the genus Iberis contain not only glucosinolates, which are characteristic chemical defenses of the Brassicaceae plant family, but also cucurbitacins,[7] which are better known as chemical defenses in the Cucurbitaceae plant family. Cucurbitacins from Iberis amara have antifeedant activity against the Brassicaceae-feeding specialist Pieris rapae (cabbage butterfly).[8] Cucurbitacins from Iberis umbellata (globe candytuft) are ecdysteroid antagonists, acting on the ecdysteroid receptor of insects.[9]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
  2. Book: RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. 2008. Dorling Kindersley. United Kingdom. 978-1405332965. 1136.
  3. Book: Shorter Oxford English dictionary, 6th ed.. 2007. Oxford University Press. United Kingdom. 978-0199206872. 3804.
  4. Web site: Language of Flowers - Flower Meanings, Flower Sentiments. www.languageofflowers.com. 2016-11-26.
  5. de Viedma. M. G.. Escribano. R.. Gómez-Bustillo. M. R.. Mattoni. R. H. T.. 1985-01-01. The first attempt to establish a nature reserve for the conservation of lepidoptera in Spain. Biological Conservation. en. 32. 3. 255–276. 10.1016/0006-3207(85)90113-2. 1985BCons..32..255D . 0006-3207.
  6. Marabuto. Eduardo. Pina-Martins. Francisco. Rebelo. Maria Teresa. Paulo. Octávio S.. Ancient divergence, a crisis of salt and another of ice shaped the evolution of the west Mediterranean butterfly Euchloe tagis. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 2020. 131. 3. 487–504. en. 10.1093/biolinnean/blaa129. 10451/45515. free.
  7. Nielsen. Jens Kvist. Larsen. Lone Melchior. Søorensen. Hilmer. 1977-01-01. Cucurbitacin E and I in Iberis amara: Feeding inhibitors for Phyllotreta nemorum. Phytochemistry. en. 16. 10. 1519–1522. 10.1016/0031-9422(77)84014-4. 1977PChem..16.1519N . 0031-9422.
  8. Sachdev-Gupta. Kusum. Radke. Celia D.. Renwick. J. Alan A.. 1993-08-12. Antifeedant activity of cucurbitacins from Iberis amara against larvae of Pieris rapae. Phytochemistry. The International Journal of Plant Biochemistry. en. 33. 6. 1385–1388. 10.1016/0031-9422(93)85096-A. 1993PChem..33.1385S . 0031-9422. free.
  9. Dinan. Laurence. Whiting. Pensri. Girault. Jean-Pierre. Lafont. René. Dhadialla. S. Tarlochan. Cress. E. Dean. Mugat. Bruno. Antoniewski. Christophe. Lepesant. Jean-Antoine. 1997-11-01. Cucurbitacins are insect steroid hormone antagonists acting at the ecdysteroid receptor. Biochemical Journal. en. 327. 3. 643–650. 10.1042/bj3270643. 0264-6021. 1218839. 9581538.

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