Lunaria
Lunaria (common name honesty) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae, native to central and southern Europe and North America. It includes 4 species, the annual or biennial L. annua (syn. L. biennis), Lunaria elongata, the perennial L. rediviva and the rare Balkan species Lunaria telekiana[1]
Lunaria | |
---|---|
L. annua | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Brassicales |
Family: | Brassicaceae |
Genus: | Lunaria L. |
Species | |
Lunaria annua - Annual Honesty |
The Latin name Lunaria means "moon-like" and refers to the plants decorative seedpods.[2]
They have hairy toothed leaves and terminal racemes of white or violet flowers in Spring and Summer, followed by prominent, translucent, disc-shaped seedpods, which are frequently seen in flower arrangements.[1]
They are widely grown as ornamental plants in gardens, and have become naturalised in many temperate areas away from their native habitat.
References
- RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 1-4053-3296-4.
- Coombes, Allen J. (2012). The A to Z of plant names. USA: Timber Press. pp. 312. ISBN 978-1-60469-196-2.