Erysimum L.

Herbs, often pubescent with 2 - 3-branched medifixed appressed hairs; stems leafy, branched mostly from base. Leaves simple, linear, elliptic or oblong, attenuate at base, entire or sinuate-toothed. Flowers in corymbose racemes, usually ebracteate, or bracteate only at base, orange, yellow or rarely purple. Sepals erect, inner ones pouched or saccate at base. Petals clawed. Stamens 6; filaments simple; anthers linear-oblong. Ovary pubescent, many-ovuled; stigma 2-lobed, capitate. Fruit a siliqua, linear, elongate-narrow, compressed, tetragonal or terete; valves 1-nerved, rounded or keeled. Seeds many, 1-seriate.

Chiefly Eurasian; about 100 species, 11 in India.

KEY TO THE SPECIES

1a. Plants usually dwarf, 3 - 12 cm high, branches crowded

2

b. Plants usually 15 - 75 cm high; branches not crowded

3

2a. Plants ca 3 cm high; pods 1.5 - 2 cm long; seeds with slender funicle

5. Erysimum funiculosum

b. Plants 7 - 12 cm high; pods 3.5 - 5 cm long; seeds with short funicle

4. Erysimum deflexum

3a Plants diffusedly branched; mature pods horizontal

10. Erysimum repandum

b. Plants not diffusedly branched; mature pods usually erect and stout

4

4a Pods usually 10 - 11 cm long

7. Erysimum longisiliquum

b. Pods usually 3 - 8 cm long

5

5a. Flowers ca 6 mm across

11. Erysimum thomsonii

b. Flowers usually 8 - 15 mm across

6

6a. Pedicels up to 5 mm long

1. Erysimum aitchisonii

b. Pedicels more than 5 mm long

7

7a. Leaves usually linear, 2 - 3 mm broad

2. Erysimum altaicum

b. Leaves usually oblong-elliptic or lanceolate, 5 - 10 mm broad

8

8a Mature pods usually 1.5 mm broad

9

b. Mature pods usually 2.5 - 3 mm broad

10

9a. Sepals ca 5 mm long

6. Erysimum hieraciifolium

b. Sepals ca 8 mm long

8. Erysimum melicentae

10a. Flowers ca 8 mm across

9. Erysimum pachycarpum

b. Flowers ca 12 mm

3. Erysimum cachemiricum

List of Lower Taxa