The Hairy Endemic of Limestone Cliffs

Habit: A perennial herb 10-50 cm tall. Stem: Cylindrical, slender, erect, pale green-whitish in colour. Leaves: Basal leaves fleshy, oblanceolate and variously incised (toothed, lobed or lyrate-pinnatisect); stem leaves entire or toothed, concentrated mainly in the lower part of the stem. Flowers: Arranged in an elongated raceme bearing 20 to 40 flowers; the corolla, about 1 cm across, consists of 4 yellow linear-spatulate petals and erect sepals 5-6 mm long. Fruits: Siliques, the elongated dry fruits typical of the genus, containing the seeds. Flowering: June-August.

Chorological type: Subendemic. Distribution: Recorded along the Apennine chain in Marche, Abruzzo, Molise, Lazio, Campania and Calabria. Habitat: It colonises rocky slopes, rupestrian pastures, screes and cliffs on predominantly calcareous substrates, between 1400 and 2400 m above sea level.

Generic name (Brassica): Derived from the Latin brassica, the name used by the Romans for cabbage. Its more remote origin is uncertain, perhaps linked to Celtic roots or to the word braske used by the populations of Magna Graecia. Specific name (gravinae): Honors Pasquale Gravina, a distinguished Abruzzo physician and botanist active in the early nineteenth century, who contributed to the study of local flora.

It represents an important component of the high-altitude flora of the Apennines. As a subendemic species with a highly specific habitat, it is particularly sensitive to climate change and human disturbance in summit areas. Although little known to the general public, its presence is an indicator of the health of mountain rocky ecosystems and of the phytogeographical richness of central and southern Italy.