Жұмсақ иісті гүл – Lobularia maritima

Species of flowering plant

Lobularia maritima (syn. Alyssum maritimum) is a species of low growing flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. Its common name is sweet alyssum or , also commonly referred to as just alyssum (from the genus Alyssum in which it was formerly classified).

The genus name Lobularia comes from a Greek word meaning 'small pod,' referring to the shape of the fruits; the obsolete Alyssum can be translated as 'lack of madness,' referencing the historical use of the herb as a treatment against rabies. The name of the species maritima refers to its preferred coastal habitat.

Lobularia maritima is an annual plant (rarely a short lived perennial plant) growing to tall by broad. The stem is very branched, with dense clusters of small flowers. The leaves are 1–4 cm long and 3–5 mm, broad, alternate, sessile, quite hairy, oval to lanceolate, with an entire margin. The flowers are about in diameter, sweet smelling, with an aroma similar to that of honey, with four white rounded petals (or pink, rose red, violet. yellow and lilac The fruits are numerous elongated seedpods rather hairy, oval to rounded, each containing two seeds. The dispersal of seed is affected by the wind (anemochory).

This plant is native to the Mediterranean Basin and the Macaronesia region: (Canary Islands, Madeira, Cape Verde). It is widely naturalized elsewhere in the temperate world, including the United States. There is an endemic subspecies in the local flora of the Columbretes Islands of the western Mediterranean.

It is common on sandy beaches and dunes, but can also grow on cultivated fields, walls, slopes and waste ground, preferably on calcareous soil, at an altitude of above sea level.

The petals, leaves, and tender stems of the plant can be eaten raw or cooked.