Native to the mountains of southern Turkey and Lebanon this evergreen compact subshrub is a member of the mustard family, Brassicacea, that also includes broccoli, cabbage, and asylum. It grows 8-10″ tall in erect rounded tufts and has mostly unbranched reddish brown flowering stems and fleshy, blue-green, linear leaves that are 1/3-2/3″ long and grow mostly on the nonflowering stems. The mauve or dusty pink 4-petaled flowers appear in 1″ wide terminal racemes in early summer. Plants are a good choice for front of the border and rock gardens. The genus name, Aethionema, comes from the ancient Greek words αἴθειν meaning to light up or kindle and νῆμα meaning thread or yarn. The specific epithet, coridifolium, comes from the Latin words cor meaning heart and folium, meaning leaf.
Type: Evergreen subshrub
Bloom: Four-petaled mauve or dusty pink flowers in 1″ wide terminal racemes from late spring to early summer
Size: 8-10″ H x 1-1.5′ W
Light: Full sun
Soil: Average, medium moist, well-drained, alkaline
Hardiness: Zones 5-9
Care: Shear lightly after blooming
Pests and Diseases: Mildew, aphids
Propagation: Seed, division, cuttings
Companion Plants: Ice plant, candy tuft, ajuga
Karen Meyers