Erysimum repandum L.

Erysimum species are annual, biennial or perennial herbs. Rootstocks taproot. Trichomes 2-5 rayed stellate, medifixed, forked, appressed, sessile. Stem erect, leafy, simple or usually branched from the base, sometimes branched above, pubescent, rarely glabrous. Basal leaves simple, in rosulate or not, lanceolate to obovate, base cuneate to attenuate, margin entire, dentate or pinnatifid, apex acute to obtuse, petiole short to sessile, cauline leaves, base cuneate, attenuate or rarely auriculate, margins entire or shallow dentate, petiole sessile or subsessile. Inflorescence raceme corymbs, few to many flowered, elongated or not in fruit, ebracteate or bracteate in lowermost flowers, rarely entirely bracteate. Flowers bisexual, yellow, purplish, pink, orange, violet or white, actinomorphic, pedicel erect, thick or slender, ascending, reflex or divaricate, sepals 4, subequal, erect, oblong, lateral pair base saccate or not, apex obtuse, petals 4, obovate-spathulate to suborbicular, base cuneate, margin entire, apex obtuse or emarginate, claw differentiated. Stamens 6, tetradynamous, filaments simple, anthers linear-oblong, nectar glands 2 to 4, confluent and subtending bases of stamens, median glands present or absent. Ovary superior, linear, ellipsoid-cylindrical, sessile, bicarpellary, syncarpous, pubescent, ovules 10-100. Fruit siliqua or rarely silicles, dehiscent, linear-ellipsoid to ovoid-linear, compressed, terete, quadrangular, angustiseptate, latiseptate, valves 1 veined flat, veins obscure or distinct, septum complete, style obsolete, stigma capitate, bilobed or entire. Seeds 5-20, uniseriate or biseriate, compressed or not, brown, oblong-ovoid, winged, minutely reticulate, mucilaginous when soaked, cotyledons usually incumbent rarely accumbent.

Erysimum species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: April—June.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Erect usually diffusely branched annual herbs, about 10-40 cm tall. Rootstocks thick, branched taproot. Trichomes 2 or rarely 3 rayed forked, appressed, medifixed. Stem erect, leafy, simple or usually much branched from the base, pubescent with forked trichomes. Basal leaves simple, in subrosulate, usually withered by the time of flowering, narrow oblanceolate-oblong to elliptic, about 40-95 x 5-15 mm across, base attenuate, margin entire or sinuate dentate, apex acute, sparsely pubescent with 2 rayed trichomes, petiole about 3-20 mm long, cauline leaves similar the basal leaves but smaller, narrow oblanceolate-oblong to elliptic, about 20-60 x 3-10 mm across, base cuneate, margin entire or denticulate, apex acute, petiole subsessile becoming sessile towards the shoot. Inflorescence raceme corymbs, densely 15-25 flowered, considerably elongated in fruit, ebracteate. Flowers bisexual, yellow, pedicel erect, thickened to almost as fruit, ascending, about 2-3 mm long, about 4-6 mm long in fruit, sepals 4, subequal, erect, oblong, lateral pair base not saccate, apex obtuse, about 4-6 mm long, petals 4, narrow spathulate, base cuneate, margin entire, apex obtuse, about 6-8 x 2 mm across, claw differentiated, about 3-6 mm long. Stamens 6, tetradynamous, about 3-6 mm long, filaments simple, anthers linear-oblong, about 1 mm long. Ovary superior, linear, ellipsoid-cylindrical, sessile, bicarpellary, syncarpous, ovules 40-80. Fruit siliqua, dehiscent, linear-subcylindrical, terete, quadrangular, more or less curved upward, latiseptate, about 20-80 x 1-1.5 mm across, valves with prominent midrib, veins distinct, septum complete, puberulent with 2 rayed trichomes and few 3 rayed ones, style stout, cylindric, 1-4 mm long, stigma capitate, bilobed. Seeds uniseriate, brown, oblong-ellipsoid, not winged, about 1-1.5 mm long, minutely reticulate.

Erysimum species are susceptible to various insect pests, virus, mildews and moulds.

Slopes, roadsides and barren lands, altitude 200-2000 m.

Not evaluated (IUCN).