Virginia Stock
Latin name
Malcolmia maritime
Family
Brassicaceae
Flowering season
Mainly spring, summer and autumn, but it flowers through
to December and January in milder winters.
English distribution
It is widely grown in gardens.
The escape is scattered throughout the country.
See the BSBI distribution map for Virginia Stock
Habitat
Virginia Stock is a garden escape, which is found in cracks
in pavements, at the base of walls and on rubbish tips and
waste ground.
It is a common flower in packets of seeds for children,
because it flowers and seeds rather quickly.
It is fully frost-hardy, hence its survival in the winter.
It is a neophyte, which was introduced into the UK in
the early 1700s and has been known in the wild
since the 1860s.
Description
It is an annual that grows up to 20cm.
The flowers are fragrant, about 2cm across, with 4 petals
ranging from white to pink, mauve and red.
Leaves are small, oval and grey-green.
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Patch of flowers
Leaves
'Casual' at base of wall
Flower with bug