Coincya is a small genus of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae (the mustard and cabbage family), placed in the order Brassicales. The genus comprises annual to perennial herbs that share the characteristic four-petalled flowers typical of brassicaceous plants, generally producing yellow blooms and slender silique fruits.
The genus has a notably disjunct distribution: three species are native to or associated with the British Isles, while the remaining species are restricted to the Iberian peninsula, where several are endangered endemics of the south-central mountains. The British Isles members include Coincya wrightii, known as Lundy cabbage, a species entirely confined to the island of Lundy in the Bristol Channel, and Coincya monensis, which occurs as two subspecies — C. monensis subsp. monensis (Isle of Man cabbage) and C. monensis subsp. recurvata (star mustard). The star mustard subspecies has been introduced to eight U.S. states and may have diverged from the Isle of Man cabbage through the founder effect and geographic isolation.
The genus is named in honour of the French botanist Auguste-Henri de Coincy (1837–1903). Coincya was segregated from the broader genus Hutera and related genera within the tribe Brassiceae; the accepted species are circumscribed by Greuter & Burdet and related authorities. With only around seven accepted species, it is a minor but biogeographically interesting genus bridging Atlantic-European and Iberian floristic elements.
Etymology
The genus name Coincya honours Auguste-Henri de Coincy (1837–1903), a French botanist known for his work on Iberian flora. The name was applied when species formerly placed in related genera were circumscribed into this distinct genus within the tribe Brassiceae.
Distribution
Coincya species occur in two geographically separated areas: the British Isles — notably the island of Lundy (C. wrightii) and the Isle of Man (C. monensis) — and the south-central Iberian peninsula, where several species are narrow endemics. One subspecies, C. monensis subsp. recurvata (star mustard), has been introduced to eight U.S. states.
Conservation
Several Iberian species are recorded as endangered endemics of the south-central Iberian peninsula. Coincya wrightii (Lundy cabbage) is of particular conservation concern as it is entirely restricted to the island of Lundy in the Bristol Channel, making it one of the most geographically confined plant species in the British Isles.
