Lobularia maritima

(Linnaeus) Desvaux

J. Bot. Agric. 3: 162. 1815.

Common names: Sweet-alyssum
WeedyIntroducedIllustrated
Basionym: Clypeola maritima Linnaeus Sp. Pl. 2: 652. 1753
Synonyms: Alyssum maritimum (Linnaeus) Lamarck Koniga maritima (Linnaeus) R. Brown
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 7. Treatment on page 598.

Plants suffruticose (when subshrubs). Stems 0.5–2.5 (–4) dm. Leaves: blade linear or lanceolate-oblanceolate, (1–) 1.6–2.5 (–4.2) cm × (1–) 2–3 (–7) mm, base attenuate, apex acute. Racemes elongated in fruit, (1–) 4–8 (–16) cm, (dense). Fruiting pedicels (3–) 4.5–6 (–9.5) mm. Flowers: sepals often tinged purplish, (1.4–) 1.5–1.7 (–2.4) mm; petals broadly obovate, (1.9–) 2.3–2.8 (–3.1) × (1.2–) 1.6–2 (–2.6) mm, abruptly contracted into claw; filaments 1.2–2 mm; anthers 0.3–0.5 mm. Fruits (1.9–) 2.3–2.7 (–4.2) × (1.2–) 1.6–2 (–2.9) mm; valve margins thin, sparsely pubescent; style 0.4–0.6 mm. Seeds light to reddish-brown, not winged, (1–) 1.2–1.4 (–2) × (0.7–) 1–1.1 (–1.6) mm. 2n = 24.


Phenology: Flowering year-round (peak spring–summer).
Habitat: Roadsides, waste places, vacant lots, cultivated fields, walls, coastal fir zone, mainly along Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts, also ephemeral inland
Elevation: 0-800 m

Distribution

V7 974-distribution-map.gif

Introduced; B.C., N.S., Ont., Que., Ariz., Calif., Conn., Del., Fla., Ga., Ill., Ind., Iowa, La., Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., Miss., N.H., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Oreg., Pa., R.I., S.C., Tex., Utah, Vt., Wash., Europe, Asia, Africa, also in Mexico, West Indies, Central America, South America, Pacific Islands, Australia

Discussion

Lobularia maritima is widely cultivated as an ornamental; many cultivars are on the market. It was introduced to North America because of its drought tolerance and attractive, scented white flowers (R. Ornduff 1974). It has been reported as cultivated in the northern United States back to 1856 (A. Gray 1856). The cultivars naturalize very easily and have been known as locally established garden escapes in North America back to the end of the nineteenth century (N. L. Britton and A. Brown 1896–1898, vol. 2).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"elongated" is not a number."thick" is not a number."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

... more about "Lobularia maritima"
0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br /> (0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br />) +
Liv Borgen +
(Linnaeus) Desvaux +
attenuate +
Clypeola maritima +
appendaged +  and unappendaged +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (4.2 cm42 mm <br />0.042 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
not auriculate +
1.6 cm16 mm <br />0.016 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
dissected +, repand +, sinuate +, crenate +  and dentate +
lanceolate-oblanceolate;linear +
much smaller +  and reduced +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
urceolate +, campanulate +  and tubular +
branched +  and simple +
well-developed +
distinct +
differentiated +
Sweet-alyssum +
emarginate +  and entire +
B.C. +, N.S. +, Ont. +, Que. +, Ariz. +, Calif. +, Conn. +, Del. +, Fla. +, Ga. +, Ill. +, Ind. +, Iowa +, La. +, Maine +, Md. +, Mass. +, Mich. +, Miss. +, N.H. +, N.J. +, N.Y. +, N.C. +, Ohio +, Oreg. +, Pa. +, R.I. +, S.C. +, Tex. +, Utah +, Vt. +, Wash. +, Europe +, Asia +, Africa +, also in Mexico +, West Indies +, Central America +, South America +, Pacific Islands +  and Australia +
0-800 m +
straight +  and curved +
not winged +  and unappendaged +
connate +  and distinct +
0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
actinomorphic +
latiseptate +, stipitate +  and sessile +
0.27 cm2.7 mm <br />0.0027 m <br /> (0.42 cm4.2 mm <br />0.0042 m <br />) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.29 cm2.9 mm <br />0.0029 m <br />) +
0.23 cm2.3 mm <br />0.0023 m <br /> (0.27 cm2.7 mm <br />0.0027 m <br />) +
convex +  and elliptic-suborbicular +
0.16 cm1.6 mm <br />0.0016 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
latiseptate +  and unsegmented +
Roadsides, waste places, vacant lots, cultivated fields, walls, coastal fir zone, mainly along Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts, also ephemeral inland +
compound +, pinnately +, trifoliolate +  and simple +
not rosulate +
connate +  and distinct +
decurrent +
pinnatifid +
median +  and lateral +
tenuinucellate +, crassinucellate +  and bitegmic +
campylotropous +  and anatropous +
0.28 cm2.8 mm <br />0.0028 m <br /> (0.31 cm3.1 mm <br />0.0031 m <br />) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.26 cm2.6 mm <br />0.0026 m <br />) +
violet +, purple +, cream +  and white +
2.3mm;2.8mm +
rudimentary +
obovate +
0.16 cm1.6 mm <br />0.0016 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
Flowering year-round (peak spring–summer). +
trinucleate +  and 3(-11)-colpate +
J. Bot. Agric. +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (0.95 cm9.5 mm <br />0.0095 m <br />) +
slender +
0.45 cm4.5 mm <br />0.0045 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
mucilaginous +
biseriate +  and uniseriate +
0.14 cm1.4 mm <br />0.0014 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
0.11 cm1.1 mm <br />0.0011 m <br /> (0.16 cm1.6 mm <br />0.0016 m <br />) +
not +  and mucilaginous +
light +  and reddish-brown +
0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br /> (0.14 cm1.4 mm <br />0.0014 m <br />) +
ovate +, lenticular +  and flattened +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.11 cm1.1 mm <br />0.0011 m <br />) +
0.17 cm1.7 mm <br />0.0017 m <br /> (0.24 cm2.4 mm <br />0.0024 m <br />) +
tinged purplish +
persistent +  and caducous +
distinct +
ascending +  and spreading +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.17 cm1.7 mm <br />0.0017 m <br />) +
reduced +
latiseptate +, schizocarpic +, samaroid +  and lomentaceous +
indehiscent +  and dehiscent +
angustiseptate +, flat +, angled +, terete +, torulose +, not +, segmented +  and nutletlike +
Weedy +, Introduced +  and Illustrated +
tetradynamous +
decumbent +  and procumbent +
2-lobed +, entire +, conical +  and capitate +
subsessile +, sessile +  and petiolate +
persistent +
distinct +
0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br /> (0.06 cm0.6 mm <br />6.0e-4 m <br />) +
Alyssum maritimum +  and Koniga maritima +
Lobularia maritima +
Lobularia +
species +
scale-like +  and forked +
anastomosing +
perennial +, biennial +  and annual +
plant +  and suffruticose +
aquatics +  and terrestrial +
23 +, 12 +  and 11 +