Wallflowers, Erysimum spp., are annual or perennial herbs or small shrubs in the Cabbage Family,
Brassicaceae, found across Eurasia, as well as in North Africa and North America, though they reach their most diverse southwest Asia the Mediterranean region. There are over 200 species in this genus, many of which are cultivated as ornamental garden plants.
In a paper published in the Nordic Journal of Botany on 14 December 2016, Mohammad Mahmoodi of the Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands at the Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization in Tehran, Hamid Moazzeni of the Department of Botany at the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mahmood Bidarlord and Farrokh Ghahremaninejad of the Department of Plant Science at Kharazmi University, and Ali Asghar Maassoumi, also of the Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands at the Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization, describe a new species of Wallflower from Zanjan Province in Iran.
The new species is named Erysimum damirliense, meaning 'from Damirli'; the species was first discovered near Morassa village on Damirli Mountain. It is a biennial or short-lived perennial, with upright, branching stems reaching 15 cm in height. It produces racemes of 15-25 yellow flowers. In April, and fruits in June. The species has been found on Damirli and neighbouring mountains at altitudes of 2100-2600 m. As the species is known only from a few sites in limited area, with no conservation status, Mahmoodi et al. propose that it be treated as Endangered under the terms of the the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species.
Erysimum damirliense. (A)–(C) habit, (D) flower, (C) fruit. Mohammad Mahmoodi in Mahmoodi et al. (2017).
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