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Brassicaceae
Rock Cress
Arabis caucasica
Perseverance on rocky ground.
- Family
- Brassicaceae
- Genus
- Arabis
- Native to
- Mediterranean, Caucasus, Middle East
- Bloom season
- Spring
- Type
- perennial groundcover
- Height
- 0.5-1 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- well-drained, sandy, rocky
- Water
- low
- Hardiness
- 4-8
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Rock cress is a champion wall plant — its roots can find purchase in the tiniest crevices of dry-stone walls, and established plants often cascade dramatically over vertical rock faces.
- The flowers are four-petaled in a cross shape, the signature characteristic of the Brassicaceae family, which also includes cabbage, mustard, and honesty.
- Rock cress is among the first perennials to bloom in spring and the dense mats of white flowers are often mistaken from a distance for a late snowfall across a rock garden.
- The species was first formally described from specimens collected in the Caucasus Mountains, one of the most botanically diverse mountain regions on Earth.
- Many cultivars with double flowers or variegated foliage exist, but single-flowered forms are far more valuable to early-season pollinators like mining bees.
Color meanings
0
endurance
1
humility
2
simplicity