An annual or short-lived perennial herb (cultivated as a biennial) or subshrub of the genus Erysimum (family Brassicaceae), most with erect stems, narrow leaves without stalks, and racemes of yellow, pink, or red flowers. There are more than 180 species native to North America, southern Europe, south-western Asia, parts of Africa, and Micronesia. Many are cultivated for ornament, most cultivars being derived from E. cheiri of southern Europe.