Iberis aurosica ssp cantabrica

A perennial of the Brassicaceae family, this subspecies is endemic to the Cantabrian Range, in northern Spain. It colonizes limestone screes, cliff crevices, and exposed alpine meadows, generally between 1,200 and 2,000 meters, in conditions often very windy and snowy in winter.

It forms small, dense, and compact cushions, woody at the base, hardly exceeding 10 to 15 cm in height. The foliage is evergreen, composed of small, oblong, thick leaves, dark green and glossy, tightly arranged along the stems, giving the plant its remarkably orderly appearance.

The flowers, gathered in numerous rounded corymbs, are white to slightly pink in bud, with a well-visible pale yellow center. Their abundance at the time of flowering almost entirely covers the foliage. In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from June to August depending on the altitude. In cultivation, it generally blooms in May-June.

It requires a calcareous, very well-drained soil, in a sunny exposure. Perfectly adapted to dry rock gardens and walls, it withstands intense cold but dreads stagnant moisture in winter.