Perennial wallflower
Erysimum linifolium
Also called Erysimum, Bowles's Mauve and Everlasting wallflower
Garden plant · PerennialsIt flowers itself to death in three or four years and there is no stopping it — so take cuttings in summer every year and you will never be without one. A non-flowering shoot roots in a pot of grit in about three weeks.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Easy
- Water
- Every 10 daysWater the ground — water at the base, in the morning, not over the leaves.
- Light
- Full sun
- Feed
- Not needed
- Humidity
- Low
- Hardiness
- Hardy — an average winter RHS H4, to -10°C
- Size
- 0.7 m tall · 0.6 m across
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Origin
- Iberian peninsula
Is it safe for pets and people?
Affects horses. Not listed under its own name — this follows Erysimum cheiranthoides, which is.
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
ASPCA's entry is Erysimum cheiranthoides, a different species in the same genus, listed toxic to horses. Nothing has tested this one; the genus's cardiac glycosides are why the warning is carried across rather than dropped.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-09-22.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- Year four: the middle of the bush is bare grey wood, the flowering shoots are shorter than last year's and there are no new shoots from the base. Nothing is wrong with it — take cuttings now, because it will not recover.Flowering itself out · disorder
- Green caterpillars the colour of the leaf, lying along the midrib on the underside, with the leaf between the veins eaten to lace. It is a brassica, and they find it.Cabbage white caterpillars · pest