Annual candytuft

Iberis pinnata, the annual candytuft, is a slender annual herb in the mustard family (Brassicaceae) native to southern and central Europe, the Mediterranean basin, and adjacent parts of southwest Asia. Plants are 10-40 cm tall with erect to ascending, sparsely branched stems that are glabrous to finely pubescent. The leaves are alternate, pinnately divided with 3-7 pairs of narrow, linear-oblong lobes, distinguishing it from many congeners with entire leaves; lower leaves are short-petiolate while upper leaves become sessile. The inflorescence is a flat-topped, corymb-like raceme that elongates as the fruit develops. Each flower is asymmetric in the manner typical of Iberis, with two outer petals notably larger than the two inner ones; petals are white to pale lilac, 4-8 mm long. The fruit is a small flattened silicle, 5-8 mm long, ovate to slightly winged with a shallow apical notch, containing two seeds. It grows on calcareous soils in fields, vineyards, and rocky open ground.