Hoary alyssum

Fun Facts

• The leaves are covered with small stellate hairs. This gives them a greyish appearance.

• The stellate hairs that cover the whole plant are an adaptation to drought. They reduce evaporation from the leaf surfaces and thus save water.

• The four petals arranged crosswise, the pod fruits and the four longer and two shorter stamens are typical features of the cruciferous plant family.

• The flowering period is June to October.

• Hoary alyssum belongs to the same plant family as mustard, rocket and cabbage.

• Hoary alyssum is an annual to biennial plant. This means it lives for one or two years, but flowers only once and dies after the seeds have matured.

• Endangerment level Germany: not evaluated

• Hoary alyssum originally comes from Eastern Europe and the western part of Asia and has been established in Central Europe since the 19th century.