The incredibly scented stocks are perennial, biennials and annuals, typically growing in open areas, including dunes, cliff tops etc. 4-petalled flowers, scented, often hairy leaves.
A diverse genus in form, all Matthiola have scented flowers that attract a good range of pollinators, especially bees, beetles and butterflies. Some species e.g. M. longipetala are evening-scented and so especially attractive to moths. They are palatable to insects such as flea-beetles and weevils, and to the caterpillars of large white butterflies, one of the so-called 'cabbage whites'.