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Erysimum caboverdeanum facts for kids

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Erysimum caboverdeanum
Erysimum caboverdeanum at the botanical gardens in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Erysimum caboverdeanum at the botanical gardens in Las Palmas, Canary Islands
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
(unranked):
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Order:
Family:
Genus:
Erysimum
Species:
E. caboverdeanum
Binomial name
Erysimum caboveredanum
(A.Chev.) Sunding, 1974
Synonyms

Matthiola caboverdeana A.Chev.

Erysimum caboverdeanum is a plant species that belongs to the Brassicaceae family, the cabbage or mustard family. It is found only in the Fogo island, Cape Verde.

It was named for the first time by the French botanist Auguste Jean Baptiste Chevalier in 1935. Caboverdeanum (or the original caboverdeana) is a Latin word that means "Cape Verdean" or "from Cape Verde".

Synonym

Chevalier named, in 1935, this species as Matthiola caboverdeana; this name now is a synonym because Sunding changed it to the present name, Erysimum caboverdeanum.

Common names

It is locally known as crabo bravo ("wild carnation") and alecrim branco ("white rosemary").

Description

Erysimum caboverdeanum is a biennial small bush, up to 60 cm (24 in) high; its stems are woody and they stand upright. The narrow leaves are about 4 cm (1.6 in) long and 0.2 cm (0.08 in) wide and their margins are finely ed.

The flowers, which are white or lilac coloured, are in groups (inflorescences) at the end of the stems. The fruits are very narrow and stand upright.

Erysimum caboverdeanum
Erysimum caboverdeanum at the botanical gardens in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Where it grows

Erysimum caboverdeanum is an endemic species of the Cape Verdean island of Fogo on the volcano Pico do Fogo. It is common in soils with a recent volcanic origin at an altitude between 1,600 and 2,300 m (5,249 and 7,546 ft); it is found on the slopes of the volcano and in the Chã das Caldeiras, the plain in the volcanic crater.

Uses

The species is used for traditional medicinal purposes mainly as an infusion.

It is possible to use it as an ornamental plant, even in places like central Europe.

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