Alisum (sweet alyssum)

Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) is a plant of the family Brassicaceae, native to the Mediterranean Basin and Macaronesia. It was formerly classified in the genus Alyssum. It is an annual, rarely a short-lived perennial, growing to 5-30 cm tall.

The flowers are about 5 millimetres in diameter and have four white rounded petals. Pink, rose-red, violet, yellow and lilac forms also occur. The flowers are pollinated by insects. Their sweet honey-like fragrance is attractive to bees, flower flies, stingless wasps and butterflies. It is a long-flowering plant that produces abundant quantities of nectar. In the Mediterranean basin it blooms for 10 months, from September to late June, with the peak of flowering in autumn.

The genus name Lobularia comes from a Greek word meaning 'small pod', referring to the shape of the fruits. The name of the species maritima refers to its preferred coastal habitat. It is common on sandy beaches and dunes, but can also grow on cultivated fields, walls, slopes and waste ground.

In gardens it is typically used as groundcover, as it rarely grows higher than 20 cm. It also attracts beneficial insects such as parasitoid wasps and syrphid flies, which act as biological pest control. The petals, leaves, and tender stems of the plant can be eaten raw or cooked.

Brassicaceae are typically characterized by the presence of glucosinolates. Analysis of an extract of the aerial parts of sweet alyssum detected the glucosinolate gluconapin.

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