Candytuft

Iberis saxatilis, the rock candytuft, is a low-growing evergreen subshrub in the Brassicaceae family, native to mountainous regions of southern Europe including the Iberian Peninsula, the Alps and parts of the Balkans. It typically forms a dense, spreading mat or cushion 10 to 15 cm tall and up to 30 cm across, with woody, prostrate stems that root where they contact the soil. The leaves are small, narrow, fleshy and linear to spathulate, 1 to 2 cm long, glossy dark green and arranged alternately along the stems. In late spring and early summer the plant produces flat-topped corymbs of small four-petalled flowers; as in other Iberis the two outer petals are noticeably longer than the inner pair, giving each flower an asymmetric appearance. The flowers open white, sometimes flushed pink or lilac with age, and are mildly fragrant. Fruits are small flattened silicles. It grows naturally on rocky slopes, cliffs and limestone scree.