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Brassicaceae
Hoary Stock
Matthiola incana
Lasting beauty and a contented life.
- Family
- Brassicaceae
- Genus
- Matthiola
- Native to
- Mediterranean Europe, western Asia
- Bloom season
- Spring, Early Summer
- Type
- biennial or short-lived perennial
- Height
- 30–80 cm
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- fertile, well-drained, slightly alkaline
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- 7–10
- Lifespan
- biennial; often grown as annual
Did you know
- The name 'hoary' refers to the silvery, felt-like hairs covering its stems and leaves.
- Double-flowered stocks are sterile; growers select seedlings by leaf color to predict petal count.
- Matthiola was named for Pietro Andrea Mattioli, a 16th-century Italian physician and botanist.
- Stocks are among the most fragrant cut flowers, with a scent often compared to clove and vanilla.
- In Victorian flower language, stock meant 'you will always be beautiful to me'.
Color meanings
Purple
lasting beauty
White
contentment and happiness
Pink
bonds of affection