Aethionema saxatile - Burnt Candytuft (Brassicaceae)

Burnt candytuft
The tightly-packed flowers of Burnt Candytuft

The flowers of Burnt candytuft, a dwarf rock plant, are variable in colour and can be white, pink or mauve. For us living in the UK this plant is associated with neat, edged flowerbeds in gardens and parks in the height of summer.

This member of the Brassicaceae (Cabbage) family of plants grows in rocky habitats in the hills and mountains, where it blooms in the spring.

Burnt candytuft is found in the western and central Mediterranean from Spain to Greece and also in Sardinia, Sicily and Crete.

The plant shown on this page was photographed in Crete in early April.

Burnt candytuft - closeup of flowers
The four-petalled flowers