# Wallflowers (*Erysimum*)

Wallflowers are bright and cheerful flowers that bloom in many colors. They often grow in gardens and fields, bringing joy to everyone who sees them.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Urban areas

![Wallflowers](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Erysimum_helveticum0.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Kurt Stüber \[1\], CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Erysimum_helveticum0.jpg)

## Appearance

The Wallflowers has clusters of vibrant, often four-petaled flowers in shades of yellow, orange, purple, or red, often with a sweet fragrance. Its upright stems typically bear narrow, green leaves, creating a bushy form, distinct from sprawling groundcovers.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Brassicales
- **Family:** Brassicaceae
- **Genus:** Erysimum

## Interesting facts

- Ancient Greeks believed Wallflowers brought good luck and protection!
- Some Wallflowers can survive cold winters and bloom again next spring!
- Their bright colors often guide bees to hidden nectar deep inside their flowers.
- Wallflowers are named because they love to grow on old stone walls!

## Special abilities

- **Scented Beacon:** Wallflowers can release a sweet, strong fragrance that helps it attract busy insects like bees and butterflies from a distance.
- **Rocky Anchor:** Wallflowers can grow robustly in cracks and poor soils, using its strong roots to hold fast even in challenging environments.
- **Color Shift Spell:** Some Wallflowers can change their flower color as they mature, helping them adapt their look or signal to pollinators.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 30-60 cm
- **Spread:** 20-45 cm
- **Flower Size:** 1-2.5 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Spring_early_summer
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** Mild
- **Lifecycle:** Biennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** European honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — collects nectar for honey
- **Pollinates:** Red Admiral butterfly (*Vanessa atalanta*) — feeds on nectar
- **Eaten by:** Small Cabbage White (*Pieris rapae*) — larvae munch on leaves

## Traits

- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Biennial](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/biennial): Biennial plants complete their life cycle over two growing seasons, typically forming foliage in the first year and flowering/seeding in the second.
- [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth.
- [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.
- [Urban Friendly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/urban-friendly): This habitat trait indicates species that can coexist with humans in urban and suburban environments, utilizing man-made structures and green spaces.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always look but don't pick flowers unless you have permission.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Wallflowers?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Wallflowers?

30-60 cm

### How wide does Wallflowers spread?

20-45 cm

### How big are the flowers on Wallflowers?

1-2.5 cm

### When does Wallflowers bloom?

Spring_early_summer

### Is Wallflowers edible?

No

### Is Wallflowers toxic?

Mild

### What is Wallflowers's lifecycle?

Biennial

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Wallflowers: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/wallflowers)