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Arabis caucasica

Common name:	Rock Cress	Family:	Cruciferae
Author:	Willd. ex Schltdl.	Botanical references:	45, 200
Synonyms:	Arabis alpina caucasica ((Willd. ex Schltdl.)Briq.), Arabis albida (Steven. ex Bieb.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	S.E. Europe - Mediterranean. Occasionally naturalized in Britain[17].
Habitat:	Mountain rocks and dry sites[45].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	A. alpina subsp. caucasica[G] A. alpina var. albida[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Garden Arabis [L], Gray Rockcress [P,B], Snow-in-summer [H],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Capparales. Renamed to Brassicaceae -- Mustard family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen perennial growing to 0.15m by 1m at a medium rate. It is hardy to zone 4 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from January to May, and the seeds ripen from April to June. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees and Lepidoptera (Moths & Butterflies). We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Habitats and Possible Locations

In Walls, In South Wall, In East Wall, In West Wall, Ground Cover.

Edible Uses

Leaves.

The leaves are used as a garnish in much the same way as watercress[183]. They are also sometimes used as a potherb[183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Ground cover.

A good ground cover plant for sunny positions[188, 197], forming a carpet[208].

Cultivation details

Easily grown in ordinary well-drained soil[1]. Prefers a poor soil[187]. Succeeds in partial shade[134] though it tends to become straggly[197]. Established plants are very tolerant of drought and grow very well on a dry bank[190], they also succeed when grown in walls[219, K].
A very ornamental plant[1], it is hardy to about -15° c[187], but can be rather invasive[200]. There are some named varieties selected for their ornamental value[187].
A good butterfly and moth plant[30]. Bees are attracted to the flowers.
Plants resent root disturbance and are best put in their final positions whilst still small[134].
This species is closely related to A. alpina[200].

Propagation

Seed - it is best to surface sow the seed as soon as it is ripe in a light position in a cold frame[134]. Seed can also be sown in spring. It usually germinates in 2 - 3 weeks at 21° c[134]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
Division after flowering[111]. Very easy, the divisions can be planted out straight into their permanent positions if required.
Cuttings in a shady border in summer[1].

Cultivars

'': There are some named forms for this species, but these have been developed for their ornamental value and not for their other uses. Unless you particularly require the special characteristics of any of these cultivars, we would generally recommend that you grow the natural species for its useful properties. We have, therefore, not listed the cultivars in this database[K].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Arabis albida (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for Arabis alpina subsp. caucasica (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[30] Carter D. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. Pan 1982 ISBN 0-330-26642-x
An excellent book on Lepidoptera, it also lists their favourite food plants.

[45] Polunin. O. Flowers of Greece and the Balkans. Oxford University Press 1980 ISBN 0-19-217626-9
A good pocket flora, it also lists quite a few plant uses.

[111] Sanders. T. W. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge 1926
A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.

[134] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan. 1988
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. An interesting article on Ensete ventricosum.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[190] Chatto. B. The Dry Garden. Dent 1982 ISBN 0460045512
A good list of drought resistant plants with details on how to grow them.

[197] Royal Horticultural Society. Ground Cover Plants. Cassells. 1989 ISBN 0-304-31089-1
A handy little booklet from the R.H.S.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[208] Thomas. G. S. Plants for Ground Cover J. M. Dent & Sons 1990 ISBN 0-460-12609-1
An excellent detailled book on the subject, very comprehensive.

[219] Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. Gardening on Walls Collins 1983 ISBN 0-00-219220-0
A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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