Bitter Candytuft Iberis amara
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- eye-BEER-is a-MAH-rah
- Description
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Rocket Candytuft is a small, ornamental, occasionally wild, flowering annual in the mustard (Brassicaceae) family. It is native to western and southern Europe, from Britain to North Africa and is typically found in dry hillsides, yards, and disturbed areas in the wild. It is a fast-growing, ornamental plant with sweetly scented flowers that bloom mid- to late-summer. The inflorescence is a corymb, bearing 10 to 30 flowers, each about 0.4 inches across. There are four petals, which in the wild are white or pale violet and, under cultivation, are pink, violet or fuchsia The species epithet amara is from the Latin word amarus and refers to the bitter flavor of the mustard produced from the plant's seeds.
Plant in moist, well-drained garden soil in full sun. It prefers soil that is high in calcium, but tolerates mildly acidic or poor nutrient soils. It also tolerates partial shade, but will produce fewer flowers. Although small, you should not grow the plants too close together.
Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems:
No known diseases or insect pests.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Iberis
- Species:
- amara
- Family:
- Brassicaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Sometimes used as a mustard. Adding water to ground seeds produces a pungent mustard; adding vinegar or salt produces a milder, bitter, mustard.
- Life Cycle:
- Annual
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Western and southern Europe, including Britain, to North Africa
- Distribution:
- Introduced to Central and Eastern Europe, India, New England and Middle Atlantic United States.
- Wildlife Value:
- Flowers are pollinated by bees.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Annual
- Ground Cover
- Habit/Form:
- Erect
- Mounding
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Fine
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Dry
- Available Space To Plant:
- 12 inches-3 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Samara
- Fruit Description:
- Ovate, notched fruit. Narrowly winged seeds.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Pink
- Purple/Lavender
- Red/Burgundy
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Corymb
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Irregular
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Corolla is irregular, white to light violet. Four petals of which the outermost two are long (6 mm (0.24 inch) and the innermost two short (3 mm (0.12 inch)). The flowers are fragrant and the inflorescence is initially dense, becoming more sparse in fruiting stage. Flowers in July-August.
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Oblanceolate
- Obovate
- Spatulate
- Leaf Margin:
- Dentate
- Entire
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Description:
- Alternate leaves with the lowest soon withering, the middle and upper leaves stalkless, narrowly obovate, and sparse-toothed at tip (sometimes with short margins). The margin is sparsely hairy, 3-veined. petiolate or (distal) sessile; the blade spatulate or oblanceolate to oblong, margins pinnatifid or dentate, or (distalmost) entire or dentate
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Form:
- Straight
- Stem Description:
- Erect, branched distally.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Slope/Bank
- Walkways
- Landscape Theme:
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Poor Soil
- Rabbits
