Iris persica

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Iris persica
The Botanical Magazine, Plate 1 (Volume 1, 1787) corrected.png
The Botanical Magazine, Plate 1
(Volume 1, 1787) [1]
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Iridaceae
Genus: Iris
Subgenus: Iris subg. Scorpiris
Section: Iris sect. Scorpiris
Species:
I. persica
Binomial name
Iris persica
L.
Synonyms [2]
  • Coresantha persicaAlef
  • Juno persicaTratt
  • Iris praecoxSalisb.
  • Costia persica(L.) Willk.
  • Iris bolleanaSiehe
  • Iris issicaSiehe
  • Iris persica var. bolleana(Siehe) Dykes
  • Iris persica var. isaacsonii Foster
  • Iris persica var. issica(Siehe) Dykes
  • Iris persica var. purpurea (Siehe) Dykes
  • Iris persica f. sieheana(Lynch) B.Mathew & Wendelbo
  • Iris persica var. sieheana(Lynch) Dykes
  • Iris praecoxSalisb.
  • Iris purpureaSiehe
  • Iris sieheanaLynch
  • Iris squamataGaterau
  • Thelysia persica(L.) Parl.
  • Xiphion persicum (L.) Mill.

Iris persica, the Persian iris, is a native plant of Iran. It is particularly known for its beauty and fragrance.

Contents

One of the first Juno irises to be described, this species has been in cultivation for centuries and was listed by Philip Miller in his book of 1732. It was originally grown as an indoor plant. [3]

Description

This bulbous perennial is short, about 4 inches (10 cm) high. The leaves are 0.2 to 0.6 inches (5 to 15 mm) wide with a pale edge and a grey underside. The flowers are 2 inches (5 cm) across, varying in colour from brownish to greenish or greyish. [4]

Distribution

It is an alpine plant growing in the hills of Iraq, [5] Turkey and Syria, at altitudes between 300 and 5400 feet (100 to 1650 metres). [4]

Cultivation

Iris persica needs warmth and shelter to blossom but can be grown in the open air. It flowers in February and March and may flower for up to six weeks in a row.

The beauty of this plant attracted the attention of gardening writers including Vita Sackville-West, [6] Gertrude Jekyll, [7] and William Robinson in his 1893 book The English Flower Garden, [8] among others. Jekyll wrote "How endlessly beautiful are the various kinds of Iris, of which so many bloom in June... in a snug sunny place at the foot of a south wall Iris persica, whose delicate petals of palest greenish-blue are boldly painted with stronger colours..." [7]

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<i>Iris caucasica</i>

Iris caucasica is a species of plant in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus of Scorpiris. Pronounced as 'kaw-KAS-ee-kuh'.

<i>Iris stenophylla</i>

Iris stenophylla is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Scorpiris. It is a bulbous perennial.

Iris afghanica is a plant species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Iris and in the section Regelia. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from Afghanistan, with thin bluish-green leaves and creamy yellow or white flowers, that are veined with purple-brown. It has yellow-green or purple beards. Although, in the wild, it can vary in colour and size. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.

Iris lineata is a plant species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Iris, and in the section Regelia. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from the mountains of Turkestan, between Tajikistan and Afghanistan. It has tall slender stems, long leaves and greenish yellow flowers covered, with brown violet, or brown purple veining over the top. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.

Iris dolichosiphon is a plant species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Iris and in the section Pseudoregelia. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from China and Bhutan. It has long, thin dark green leaves, very short stem, and dark blue, purple, or violet flowers. That are mottled with white. It has thick white/orange beards. It has one subspecies, Iris dolichosiphon subsp. orientalis, from China, India and Burma. It has similar flowers. They are cultivated as ornamental plants in temperate regions

<i>Iris kemaonensis</i> Species of plant

Iris kemaonensis, the Kumaon iris, is a plant species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Iris and in the section Pseudoregelia. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from Tibetan China, Bhutan, India, Kashmir and Nepal. It has light green or yellowish green leaves, that extend after flowering time. It has a short stem, 1–2 fragrant flowers that are purple, lilac, lilac-purple or pale purple. They also have darker coloured blotches or spots. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions. It is often known as Iris kumaonensis, due to a publishing error.

<i>Iris furcata</i> Species of plant

Iris furcata, the forked iris, is a plant species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Iris. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from the Caucasus mountains, in the countries of Moldavia and the southern Ukraine. It has short, narrow, sword-shaped leaves. A slender stem, that branches beyond the midpoint, holding small purple, deep purple, blue-violet, light blue or violet flowers. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions. It is often regarded as a synonym of Iris aphylla, but it has chromosomal and morphological differences, so it may considered to be a parent species instead.

Iris schachtii is a plant species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Iris. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from central Anatolia, in Turkey. It has small, thin grey-green leaves, a short stem with 1–3 branches, which are normally, covered with a green leaf with purple staining. It has 2 or more fragrant flowers in late spring, which come in shades of yellow or purple, or violet and yellow,. It has a yellow or white with yellow-tips beard. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions, but prefers regions with dry, hot summers.

<i>Iris acutiloba</i> Species of plant

Iris acutiloba is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus of Iris and section Oncocyclus. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from the mountains of the Caucasus and found in Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Dagestan in the North Caucasus, and Iran. It is a dwarf species, with narrow, falcate or curved leaves, it has one flower in spring or early summer, that comes in shades from cream, creamy white, whitish, pale brown, light grey, to pale violet. It is heavily veined or streaked and pointed, with 2 dark spots and brown, purple, dark purple, or black short beard. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions. There are two subspecies, Iris acutiloba subsp. lineolata and Iris acutiloba subsp. longitepala.

Iris barnumiae is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Iris and in the section Oncocyclus. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, and Turkey. It has pale glaucous green and narrow leaves, that are slightly sickle-shaped and fade soon after blooming. It has in mid to late spring, fragrant flowers in shades of purple, from red-purple, mulberry to purplish-violet, with a yellow tipped with purple beard. It was renamed as I. barnumiae in after a plant naming conference, but is still named as I. barnumae in some sources. It has one accepted subspecies Iris barnumiae subsp. demawendica and two forms; Iris barnumiae f. protonyma (Stapf) B.Mathew & Wendelbo and Iris barnumiae f. urmiensis (Hoog) B.Mathew & Wendelbo, which has yellow flowers. Sometimes I. barnumiae f. barnumiae is used to described the basic form. It is rarely cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions, due to it needing very dry and warm summer conditions.

Iris gatesii is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Iris and in the section Oncocyclus. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from the mountains of Turkey and Iraq. It has long, narrow, grey-green or glaucous leaves. The strong, sturdy stem supports a single large flower in spring, between April and June. The large flowers are very variable in colouring, ranging from a pale greenish, grey, white, or creamy-yellow background colour, which is then covered with many purplish-brown, purple, or nearly black, spots, dots, short broken lines, or veining. They have a brownish purple or purple beard, over a dark signal patch. It can be cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions, if it does not get too wet during summer.

Iris sari species of plant

Iris sari is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus of Iris and in the Oncocyclus section. It is from the rocky steppes and hills of Turkey. It has curved or straight leaves, cream, greenish or yellowish flowers which are variable and veined with crimson, purple-brown, reddish brown, reddish-purple or black. It has a dark maroon, rich crimson or brown signal patch and gold or yellow beard.

References

  1. Curtis, 1787.
  2. "Iris persica L." theplantlist.org. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  3. Austin, Claire (2005). Irises A Garden Encyclopedia . Timber Press, Incorporated. p.  301. ISBN   978-0881927306.
  4. 1 2 "Iris persica". Alpine garden society. 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  5. Stevens, Michelle L.; Alwash, Suzie (January 2003). "Draft Report Biological Characteristics Mesopotamian Marshlands Of Southern Iraq" (PDF). The Iraq Foundation. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  6. Vita Sackville-West (2004). Even More for your Garden. Frances Lincoln. p. 103
  7. 1 2 Gertrude Jekyll (1900). Home and Garden. Cambridge University Press. p. 71
  8. William Robinson (1893). The English Flower Garden, Notes and Thoughts, Practical and Critical, of a Worker in Both. John Murray.

Sources