Iris pontica

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Iris pontica
Pivniki pontichni.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Iridaceae
Genus: Iris
Subgenus: Iris subg. Limniris
Section: Iris sect. Limniris
Series: Iris ser. Spuriae
Species:
I. pontica
Binomial name
Iris pontica
Synonyms [1]
  • Chamaeiris pontica(Zapal.) M.B.Crespo
  • Iris humilisM.Bieb. [Illegitimate]
  • Iris humilis var. ponticaProd.
  • Iris marschallianaBobrov
  • Limniris humilis(Alef.) Fuss
  • Neubeckia humilisAlef.
  • Xyridion ponticum(Zapal.) Rodion.

Iris pontica is a species in the genus Iris , it is also in the subgenus Limniris and in series Spuriae . It is a dwarf rhizomatous perennial plant from eastern Europe, the Causcasus region and Russia, with a short stem and violet-blue and white flowers. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.

Contents

Description

It is known as the smallest Spuria iris. [2] It is related to Iris sintenisii and Iris graminea but it is very distinct from them. [3]

It has short, thick, woody, branching rhizomes [4] [5] [6] that measure 0.4–1.0 cm in diameter. [4] [5] They normally grown at 3–5 cm deep in the soil. [5] The branching and creeping habit creates tufts of plants. [5] [7]

It has foliage which is similar in form to Iris graminea. [8] It has 2–5 basal leaves [3] [9] [10] that are narrow, linear, lanceolate, slightly glaucous and grass-like. [6] [9] [7] They grow up to 10–45 cm (4–18 in) long and 2–5 mm wide. [11] [12] The leaves can be 3 times as long as the stem. [6] [13] [14] They have prominent ribs or veining. [3] [9] [10]

It has very short stem, [4] [5] 1–4 cm long. [8] [12] [14] In total, with the flower, peduncle and stem, the plant can reach up to 10 cm (4 in) tall. [15] [16] [17]

The stems or peduncle hold 1 (or 2 rarely [5] [17] ) terminal (top of stem) flowers, in late spring, [7] [16] or early summer, [13] between April and June. [18] [2] [3] The stems have 2 green, lanceolate, membranous spathes (leaves of the flower bud), that are 40–70 mm long. [11] [12] [14]

The flowers have a slight scent, [17] [19] which is rare for most spuria irises, [2] and they can be up 5–7 cm (2–3 in) in diameter, [4] [7] [19] and come in shades of violet-blue, [5] [6] [9] violet, [7] [14] [15] purple, [6] [11] [12] or purple-reddish. [2] [4]

It has 2 pairs of petals, 3 large sepals (outer petals), known as the 'falls' and 3 inner, smaller petals (or tepals, known as the 'standards'. [14] The falls are sub-orbicular or obovate. They have a yellow, yellow-greenish or white centre patch that is veined with violet, reddish-brown or brown. [3] [9] [7] They have very narrow dark purple claws (section closest to the stem) [3] [9] measuring up to 45–55 mm long and 15–18 mm wide. [11] [12] [16] The single coloured (violet-blue to blue) standards are oblanceolate and unguiculate (clawed shaped). [16] [8] [11] They also have a dark purple claws [3] [9] [16] measuring 35–50 mm long and 8–12 mm wide. [11] [12] [16]

It has a long perianth tube, but it is difficult to measure because of the slender, beaked ovary. [3] It is estimated to be between 2 and 5 cm long. [9] [10] It has a bronze-purple or purple carinate (ridged), recurved (up turned at the front edge) style branch, which has two violet-blue teeth. [3] [9] It also has a 2-lobed stigma, yellow filaments, azure anthers and cylindrical ovary. [9]

After the iris has flowered, it produces an ellipsoid seed capsule, 1.5–2.5 cm long, with 6 ridges, between May and August. [5] [9] [11] Inside the capsule are reddish brown to brown pyriform (pear-shaped) or globose seeds, which have a papery testa (coating). [2] [9] [11]

Genetics

As most irises are diploid, having two sets of chromosomes, this can be used to identify hybrids and classification of groupings. [14] It has a chromosome count of 2n=72. [15] [20]

Taxonomy

The Latin specific epithet pontica refers to Pontiac or the Black Sea. [21] [22] Normally, pontica refers to the Turkish Pontus mountain range or the classical region known as 'Pontus' in North eastern Turkey, (such as Artemisia pontica ), but the Black Sea was once known as Pontus Euxinus. [3]

It has the common names of Pontic iris. [5] [23] [24] It is also rarely called Iris Black Sea. [20] [24] Although, generally Iris lazica has the common name of Black Sea Iris.

It was originally found in the Caucasus and called Iris humilis by Friedrich August Marschall von Bieberstein in Flor. Taur. Caucas. Vol.1 on page 33 in 1808. [3] [5] It was again published by Bieberstein in Cent. Pl. Rar. Vol.1: tab. 31 in 1810, but in the 1960s, Georgi Rodionenko (a Russian botanist), found that a dwarf yellow bearded iris in the section Psammiris was called Iris humilis (by Georgi) and it was published earlier in 1775. [6] [25] It was then found that Hugo Zapałowicz had published the iris in 'Conspectus florae Galiciae criticus' (Consp. Fl. Gallic. Crit.) Vol.1 on page 191 in 1906 as Iris pontica. [26] [27] So Iris pontica is used as the correct name and Iris humils is classified as a synonym. [1] [3]

It was verified by United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service on 4 April 2003. [27]

Distribution and habitat

Iris pontica is native to eastern regions of Europe and Russia. [27]

Range

It is found in eastern Europe within Moldova, [11] [27] [28] Romania, [28] [6] [7] Ukraine, [16] [27] [28] and north eastern Turkey. [5] [6] [28]

It is also in the Caucasus region, [15] [4] [5] part of the Russian Federation or USSR. [14] [16]

As recently as 2013, the species was first discovered in the forest-steppe area of Moldavia. [28]

Habitat

Iris pontica grows on dry sunny grasslands and meadows, [11] [12] [20] of steppes, [4] [7] [28] and on limestone, chalky and granite mountain slopes. [18] [4] [5] Along the edges of ravines. [18]

It can also be found in thickets of shrubs and at the edges of forests. [5] [28]

Sometimes, it is difficult to spot due to the flowers being hidden by the leaves. [6] [18]

Conservation

Iris pontica is listed as 'Vulnerable' in various Red Book of vascular plants in the Stavropol Territory in USSR, and also in Ukraine (since 1980). [12] [18] In Romania, it is listed as 'critically endangered'. [12] It has been listed as endangered category in Moldova (since 1980). [12]

It has been threatened due to the flowers being collected for bouquets and grazing by farm animals. [5] [18]

In 2009, a national Nature park was created in Ukraine. This is to protect several endemics that are listed in the Red Data Book. Including Iris pontica, Stipa asperella , Gymnospermium odessanum , Dianthus hypanicus , Moehringia hypanica and Silene hypanica . [29]

Cultivation

It is hardy to European Zone H2. [16] It is hardy enough to be grown in Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Stavropol in Russia. It has grown well for up to 12 years in St Petersburg Botanical Garden. [2]

It prefers to grow in soils that contain limestone. [6] [14] But it is tolerant of other soils including rich clay loams, [14] neutral dry soils, [12] or a 'peat bed' (with mainly leafmold and rotting wood). [3]

It prefers full sun or partial shade. [6] [12] It is known as a heliophytic species. [12]

It can be grown in the rock garden or in an alpine house. [2] [4] [13] It can also be grown in a contained or pot. [14]

It is rarely seen in the UK. [13]

Propagation

It can also be propagated by division or by seed growing. [2] [5]

It is thought that it is propagated by ants. The flowers produce nectar droplets at the base of tepals, which attracts the ants. [6]

Related Research Articles

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Iris graminea is a species of flowering plant belonging to the subgenus Limniris of the genus Iris, in particular the series Spuriae. It is a rhizomatous perennial, with purple or violet blue flowers almost hidden by narrow, grass-like leaves, and a plum scented fragrance. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions. It has several common names, including grass-leaved flag, grass leaved iris, plum iris and plum tart iris. This species naturally occurs in the southern half of Europe, from Spain and France in the West to Russia and the Caucasus in the East.

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

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<i>Iris ruthenica</i> Species of flowering plant

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Iris loczyi is a beardless iris in the genus Iris, in the subgenus Limniris and in the series Tenuifoliae of the genus. It is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial, from a wide area of Asia, including Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Mongolia, Tibet and China. It has long thin grey green leaves, long stems and 1 flower in pale violet, blue violet, lavender or light blue.

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

Iris tenuifolia is a beardless iris in the genus Iris, in the subgenus Limniris and in the series Tenuifoliae of the genus. It is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial, from a wide region over central Asia, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, ; Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia and in China. It has long greyish-green leaves, short stem and pale violet, lilac, pale blue, or purple flowers.

Iris ventricosa is a beardless iris in the genus Iris, in the subgenus Limniris and in the series Tenuifoliae of the genus. It is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial, from Asia and the Russian Federation, to Mongolia and China. It has grey-green leaves, short flowers stems and 1–2 pale violet or pale blue flowers.

Iris ludwigii, with the common name Ludwig iris, is a species in the genus Iris. It is also in the subgenus Iris subg. Limniris and in the series Spuriae. It is a rhizomatous perennial plant with violet-blue flowers. It is native to the Altai Mountains in Central Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan meet. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.

Iris halophila var. sogdiana is a species in the genus Iris, subgenus Limniris and series Spuriae. It is a variety of Iris halophila. It was once a species in its own right as Iris sogdiana, before being re-classified as a synonym of Iris halophila, but it has been re-classed again as a variant of Iris halophila. It is a rhizomatous perennial plant, with blue-violet flowers. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.

<i>Iris notha</i> Species of flowering plant

Iris notha is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Limniris and series Spuriae. It is a rhizomatous perennial with deep blue or violet flowers from the Caucasus region. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions. It was once Iris spuria subsp. notha, and can often be found under that name. It has the common name of fake iris or mimic iris in Russia.

<i>Iris sintenisii</i> Species of flowering plant

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Iris bloudowii is a species in the genus Iris. It is also in the subgenus of Iris and in the Psammiris section. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from Russia, Siberia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China, with sickle-shaped leaves, slender stem and 2 bright or pale yellow flowers. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.

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

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Iris mandshurica is a species in the genus Iris; it is also in the subgenus of Iris and in the Psammiris section. It is a rhizomatous perennial, it is found in Russia, China, and Korea. It has green sword-like leaves, smooth green stem and yellow flowers, with yellow-purple veining and a yellow beard. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.

<i>Iris potaninii</i> Species of flowering plant

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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.

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<i>Iris tigridia</i> Species of plant of the genus Iris

Iris tigridia 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 Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia and China. It has dark green or greyish green, grass-like leaves, a short slender stem and a single flowers that are either violet, dark blue, blue-purple, dark purple, mauve, lilac, lavender, or light purple. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.

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

Iris glaucescens is a plant species in the genus Iris and subgenus Iris. It is a rhizomatous perennial, found in Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China. It has blue-grey sickle-shaped leaves, slender stem, and spring flowers in blue-violet, pale violet, lilac-purple, to deep purple, to light bluish, and almost white shades. It is rarely cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions. It was merged with another similar iris in the region, and became a synonym of Iris scariosa, before being divided into two separate species again, although some sources still call it a synonym of Iris scariosa.

<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.

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

Iris scariosa is a plant species in the genus Iris; it is also in the subgenus Iris. It is a rhizomatous perennial from the mountainsides of Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China. It has sword-like, or sickle shaped, blue green or grey-green leaves, a short flowering stem, 3 or 4 membranous or semi-transparent flower bud leaves, 2 violet, reddish violet, lilac, blue-purple, or blue flowers in late spring, with yellow or white beards. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions. It was merged with another similar iris in the region, and Iris glaucescens became a synonym of Iris scariosa, before being divided into two separate species again. Although some sources still call it the main species, despite a slight colour difference.

References

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  19. 1 2 "propects of hybridization". rfc-online.ru. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  20. 1 2 3 Stolley, Gregor. "The genus Iris in Germany". offene-naturfuehrer.de. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  21. ↑ Dykes, William. "Dykes on Iris" (PDF). beardlessiris.org (The Group for Beardless Irises). Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  22. ↑ Archibald William Smith A Gardener's Handbook of Plant Names: Their Meanings and Origins , p. 280, at Google Books
  23. ↑ "The exhibition "Iris Russia"". flower-iris.ru. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  24. 1 2 "Iris Pontic". plantarium.ru. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  25. ↑ "Irises Psammiris (Iris)". flower.onego.ru. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  26. ↑ "Iris pontica Zapal., Consp. Fl. Gallic. Crit. 1: 191 (1906)". kew.org. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
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  29. ↑ "Excursion 1: Rocky vegetation in National Nature Park 'Buz'ky Gard'". botanik.uni-greifswald.de. Retrieved 20 February 2015.

Sources

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