Nearly Native - European Garden Plants – Stock

Name – the botanical name is Matthiola incana after the Italian physician and botanist Pierandrea Mattioli (1500-1577). The second part of the name - incana, means hoary and refers to the plant's typically fuzzy stem.

Description – White, red, pink, cream, purple, lilac, yellow or peach flowers with a strong fragrance.

Origin – In the wild, Matthiola incana is a plant of sea cliffs, mostly on chalk soil, and also occasionally on shingle which can be seen growing inland as an occasional garden escapee. Because it’s a highly fragrant plant it has high value for bees, butterflies and moths, and is most suitable for lime-rich soils in mild climates, especially on the south coast. As an annual, these plants do well across the UK but in very hot summers may refuse to flower – in addition there is a slight tendency for the roots to rot, and both these aspects are related to its natural condition on the coast where a strong breeze would tend to always cool the flower and cool the roots, so if the temperature really rises, mulch around the roots with a thick layer of gravel to get the stock to give of its best. The flowers have been used to produce a dark blue or purple dye and the plant is currently being investigated as a potential source of Omega-3-Linolenic Acid, a treatment for a wide range of conditions that is generally extracted from the Evening Primrose.

For Decoration - A fragrant flower, good in mixed garden bouquets and informal flower arrangements.

European stock flower photograph by The Marmot, used under a creative commons attribution

 

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