photographed in the Pyrenees
photographed in the Pyrenees
Perennial of the Brassicaceae family, this subspecies is a plant of the mountainous massifs of southwestern Europe, mainly found in the Pyrenees, the Massif Central, and the southern Alps. It occupies screes, rocky areas, cliffs, and sunny rocky slopes, generally between 800 and 2,200 meters in altitude, on varied substrates, calcareous or siliceous, often poor and well-drained.
It forms upright to slightly spreading clumps, reaching 20 to 50 cm in height depending on the station conditions. The stems are robust, often branched, bearing deeply pinnatifid, grayish-green foliage, slightly pubescent, giving it an intermediate appearance between rocket and wallflower.
The flowers are tetramerous, bright and luminous yellow, gathered in elongated terminal clusters that succeed one another over a long period. In its natural habitat, flowering extends from June to August depending on altitude; in cultivation on the plains, it can begin as early as May.
It requires well-drained soil, poor to moderately fertile, in full sun exposure. Adapted to rock gardens and gravel gardens, it tolerates drought well once established. Its longevity in cultivation may be limited, but it readily reseeds itself in rocky crevices.