Iris spuria | |
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Scientific classification | |
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. spuria |
Binomial name | |
Iris spuria | |
Synonyms [2] | |
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Iris spuria, or blue flag, is a species of the genus Iris, part of the subgenus Limniris and the series Spuriae . It is a rhizomatous perennial plant, from Europe, Asia and Africa. It has purple or lilac flowers, and slender, elongated leaves. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions and hybridized for use in the garden. It has several subspecies; Iris spuria subsp. carthaliniae (Achv. & Mirzoeva) B.Mathew, Iris spuria subsp. demetrii (Achv. & Mirzoeva) B.Mathew, Iris spuria subsp. maritima (Dykes) P.Fourn. and Iris spuria subsp. musulmanica (Fomin) Takht. It used to have 3 other subspecies, which have now been re-classified as separate species; Iris spuria subsp. halophila (now Iris halophila ), Iris spuria ssp. sogdiana (now Iris halophile subsp. sogdiana) and Iris spuria subsp. notha (now Iris notha ). It has many common names including 'blue iris', 'spurious iris' and 'bastard iris'.
It has a thin, slender rhizome, [3] [4] [5] that is about 2 cm in diameter, [6] fibrous and has a creeping habit. [4] [7] [8] Under the rhizome are wiry roots. [4]
The creeping habit creates compact clumps of plants. [9] [10] They can reach over 90 cm (35 in) wide. [9]
It has erect, slender, sword-shaped, acuminate (ending in a point), glaucous green to blue green basal leaves. [11] [12] [13] They can grow up to between 25–90 cm (10–35 in) long and 5–12 mm wide. [14] [15] [16] They are normally nearly as long as the flowering stem. [17] [18] After the plant has flowered and set seed, the leaves die in the late summer. [4]
It has a strong, erect, round stem, [11] that can reach up to between 50–80 cm (20–31 in) long. [19] [20] [21]
The stem has 1 or 2 lateral, upright branches, [3] [11] [22] or pedicels, which are about 2 cm long. [6]
The stem also has keeled, lanceolate, green, spathes (leaves of the flower bud) (or bracts). [8] [11] [12] These are 40–80 cm (16–31 in) long, [16] and have a membranous tip. [16] [17] [23] The upper cauline (on stem) leaves are shorter than internodes. [12] [16]
The stems (and branches) hold 1–4 terminal (top of stem) flowers, [5] [24] [25] in summer, [13] [23] [22] between May and July. [10] [14] [15] They flower after Iris germanica and are similar in form to Iris x hollandica . [10]
It has large, [13] lightly scented, [10] flowers that are up to 6–12 cm (2–5 in) in diameter, [9] [14] [23] and they come in shades of lilac, [14] [16] [26] mauve-blue, [19] violet-blue, [3] [5] [8] purple-blue, [10] [15] [22] violet, [18] [20] or blue. [13] [18]
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'. [27] The falls are broadly ovate, elliptic, or orbicular with a long claw (section leading to the stem). [16] [23] [24] The fall is 4.5–6 cm (2–2 in) long, [5] [16] [23] and 2.5 cm wide. [7] They have purple or violet veining, [19] and a central yellow or white stripe or signal area. [23] [25] [21]
The standards are short, lanceolate or oblanceolate, erect wavy, and 3–6 cm (1–2 in) long and 8–20 mm wide. [12] [13] [16]
It has a 7–10 mm long perianth tube, [16] the ovary has a long tapering beak, [11] which can be up to 40mm long. [7] [16]
It has a narrow, [12] violet style, [6] 2.5 cm long violet-lilac stigmas, [7] 1.27 cm long anthers, which equal the filament length. [3] [7]
After the iris has flowered, it produces an oblong-ovate, hexagonal (2.5–4 cm long) [5] [16] ) seed capsule in September. [3] [7] [14] It has a long beak-like appendage on the top, [3] [7] [14] and 6 visible, longitudinal groves. [5] [16] Inside the capsule, are light brown, angular seeds, [5] [14] with a loose membranous testa (surface). [16]
In 2002, a study was carried out on Iris spuria rhizomes, it found seven iridal-glycosides. [28]
In 2007, a chemical analysis was carried out on Iris spuria rhizomes, several compounds were isolated 12a-dehydrorotenoid 1, 11-dihydroxy-9, 10-methylenedioxy-12a-dehydrorotenoid, together with a new isoflavonoid glycoside tectorigenin-7-O-beta-glucosyl-4'-O-beta-glucoside, with 4 other known compounds, tectorigenin, tectorigenin-7-O-beta-glucosyl (1 --> 6) glucoside, tectoridin (a tectorigenin-7-O-beta-glucoside) and tectorigenin-4'-O-beta-glucoside. [29] [30]
In 2012, five Iris species ( Iris pseudacorus , Iris crocea , Iris spuria, Iris orientalis and Iris ensata ) were studied, to measure the flavonoids and phenolics content with the rhizomes. Iris pseudacorus had the highest content and Iris crocea had the lowest content. [31]
In May 2014, a study was carried out on the hepatoprotective activity of Iris spuria against paracetamol induced toxicity. [32]
In July 2014, eight Irises from the Limniris section (Iris crocea, Iris ensata, Iris orientalis, Iris pseudacorus, Iris setosa , Iris sibirica with its cultivars 'Supernatural' and 'Whiskey White', Iris spuria and Iris versicolor ) were studied to find 12 chemical compounds (flavonoids, phenols, quinones, tannins, saponins, cardiac glycosides, terpenoids, alkaloids, steroids, glycosides and proteins. [33]
As most irises are diploid, having two sets of chromosomes, this can be used to identify hybrids and classification of groupings. [27] It has been counted several times; 2n=22, Westergaraard, 1938; 2n=22, Lenz & Day, 1963; 2n=40, Banerji, 1970; 2n=40, Sharma & Sar., 1971; 2n=40, Roy et al., 1988. [7] The chromosome count is normally stated as 2n=22. [21] [34] [35]
The Latin specific epithet spuria refers to 'spurious' meaning false. [36] [37] Linnaeus thought that the plants were hybrids rather than a true species. [37] [38]
It is written as 假鸢尾 in Chinese script and known as Jia Yuan Wei in Pinyin Chinese. [39]
In Czech, it is called Iris Iris žlutofialový. [5] [17] [34]
It is pronounced as 'EYE-ris SPUR-ee-uh'. [40]
Due to the wide distribution of the species, it has many different common names, including 'spurious iris', [25] [41] [42] 'false iris', [3] [39] 'bastard iris', [8] [15] [43] 'blue iris' (in England), [44] [45] [1] 'butterfly iris' (also in England), [37] [45] [46] 'meadow marsh iris', [35] 'iris steppe', [35] [47] 'iris des steppes' (in France), [46] 'Steppen-Schwertlilie' (in Germany), [46] [47] and 'dansk iris' (in Sweden). [21] [46] and 'salt iris' (also in Sweden). [46]
Another is 'seashore iris', [25] [47] [48] but this probably applies to Iris spuria subsp. maritima. Also 'salt iris', [46] and 'salt marsh iris', [45] but this applies to Iris halophila (formerly a subspecies).
It was first described in 1753 by Linnaeus, who described it in the first volume of Species Plantarum as being a German species. [49]
On 4 November 1876, John Gilbert Baker described the iris in The Gardeners' Chronicle on page 583. [7] An illustration of the iris was published in 1981 in Grey-Wilson and Mathew, Bulbs plate 28. It was then published in 1982 by P.J. Redoute in 'Liles and related flowers' (183). [23]
It has several subspecies; Iris spuria subsp. demetrii (Achv. & Mirzoeva) B.Mathew, Iris spuria subsp. demetrii (Achv. & Mirzoeva) B.Mathew, Iris spuria subsp. maritima (Dykes) P.Fourn. and Iris spuria subsp. musulmanica (Fomin) Takht. It used to have 3 other subspecies, which have now be re-classified as separate species; Iris spuria subsp. halophila (now Iris halophila ), Iris spuria ssp. sogdiana (now Iris halophila var. sogdiana and Iris spuria subsp. notha (now Iris notha ). [2] [7]
It has been grown and cultivated in Britain since 1573. It naturalised in south Lincolnshire in 1836. Another colony was growing in Dorset, but in 1972 it was deliberately vandalised and damaged fatally. [44]
It was originally found on 10 July 1955 growing in Limhamm, Skane in Sweden. It was later published in Botanical Notices in 1958. [8]
It was verified by United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service on 20 April 1998, then updated on 1 December 2004. [46] As of March 2015 [update] , Iris spuria is a 'tentatively accepted name' by the RHS. [42]
Iris spuria is native to a very wide area, from Africa, to temperate and tropical Asia and Europe. [44] [45] [48]
It is found within Africa, in Algeria. [7] [46] [50] Within temperate Asia, it is found in the Western Asia regions of Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey. [35] [46] [50] In the Caucasus regions, it is in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ciscaucasia and Dagestan. [46] [50] and in the Russian, Siberian regions of Altay, Chelyabinsk, Gorno-Altay, Kurgan, Novosibirsk, Omsk and Tomsk. [46] In the Middle Asia regions of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia. [46] It is also found in China, with the provinces of Gansu and Xinjiang. [46] Within tropical Asia, it is found in the Indian sub-continental regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Pakistan. [46]
Within Europe, it is found in the northern European regions of Denmark and Sweden. [34] [46] [50] and in the middle European regions of Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany and Hungary. [5] [12] [14] Within eastern European it is found in the regions of Moldova, Bashkortostan, Ukraine, [16] [46] and Serbia. [51] and in the southern European regions of Romania, France and Spain. [34] [16] [50]
It has been naturalized within New Zealand and the United Kingdom, [46] in Lincolnshire. [52]
Iris spuria grows on seasonally damp grasslands, [50] damp meadows (or pastures), [19] [24] [50] marshes, [9] [24] [50] alluvial plains, [5] [50] swamps, [50] bogs, [50] maquis, [50] and salty flats. [50]
It also grows in saline soils. [14] [15] [16]
It can be found naturalised in damp, grassy places, by ditches, on banks and on roadside verges. [44]
The iris is generally listed as of 'Least Concern' on 26 April 2013 in most European countries. But it is listed as rare or endangered in some.
In Russia, the digging up of wild iris rhizomes is strictly prohibited. [20]
In Sweden, it is rare and is only found on the coastal meadows in southern Sweden. [8] On the island of Saltholm, the colony was diminishing, before being protected. [12]
In Germany, it is rare and colonies are protected. [5] [12]
In Serbia, it is also rare, [51] and within Hungary, colonies are also protected. [5]
In Czechoslovakia, it has mixed fortunes. In the region of Moravia, it is now regarded as extinct. [5] [34] In the Slovak Republic, it is classified as a 'critically endangered' species, and listed in the Red Book, with the meadows to the north and east of Štúrovo, now protected. [34] It is currently found in about 10 locations in Podunajskej lowlands, near Komárno and Sturova Nitra. [5]
It is generally thought to be easy to grow. [10] [37]
It is hardy to between USDA Zone 3 and Zone 9. [25] [40] [45] It is also hardy to European Zone H2. [23]
It is tolerant to most garden soils, [24] it will grow on wet soils, saline soils, and saline marshes. [9] It prefers well drained, humus rich soils. [13] [22] [37] It is tolerant of acid soils, [40] but prefers neutral soils.
It prefers positions in full sun or partial shade. [9] [10] [40] Although, shade reduces the flowering amount. [10] [37]
They prefer hot and dry summers, [9] [48] only requiring plenty of water during the spring. [40] [48]
Like most species in the Spuria series, they do not like root disturbance. [9] [10] [37]
It is best planted from dormant rhizomes in autumn, [37] and deeper in the soil than Iris germanica . [10]
It can be used in borders or in beds for cut flower (for the house). [10] They create large full clumps of plants. [48]
Aphis newtoni Theobald can be found on Iris bloudowii , Iris latifolia , Iris spuria and Tigridia pavonia . [53] Also Dysaphis tulipae can be found on Iris spuria. [54] The iris is also the host plant of Mononychus punctumalbum (Herbst, 1784, iris seed weevil – a weevil that feeds on the seeds of the iris). The weevil lays its eggs within seed capsule of the iris, later the larva feeds on the seed and up to 2 other seeds, and then it pupates. Adult weevils emerge from the seed capsules, fly off for aestivation (summer dormancy) and hibernation within the soil. [55]
It can be pollinated by bees. [37]
It can also be propagated by division (of the rhizomes), [13] or by seed growing. [40] Growing by seeds gives a more reliable results. [20]
Due to the wide range of species, (with various tolerances for heat, salt or cold resistance), they have been very useful to plant breeders. [20] Many of the modern cultivars have been breed with larger flowers in a wider range of colours than wild species. [37]
Known Iris spuria cultivars include; 'Adobe Sunset' (hybridized by McCown, 1976), [24] [40] 'AJ Balfour', [24] 'Albulus', [7] 'Archie Owen' (hybridized by Hager, 1970), [27] [40] 'Barbara's Kiss' (hybridized by McCown, 1981), [40] 'Belise' (hybridized by Simonet, 1964), [7] [40] 'Belissinado' (hybridized by Corlew, 1988), [40] 'Betty Cooper' (hybridized by McCown, 1981), [40] Iris 'Betty My Love' (hybridized by Wickenkamp, 1988), [40] Iris 'Blue Lassie' (hybridized by Niswonger, 1978), [40] 'Cambridge Blue', [24] 'Cheroke Chief', [24] [27] 'Clarke Cosgrove', [24] 'Custom Design', [24] 'Daenaensis', [7] 'Danica', [7] 'Dawn Candle', [24] 'Georgian Delicacy', [7] 'Halophila lutea', [7] 'Imperial Bronze', [24] [27] 'Media Lux', [24] 'Norton Sunlight', [24] 'Protege', [24] 'Monspur', 'Premier', [24] [38] and 'Red Clover'. [24]
Like many other irises, most parts of the plant are poisonous (rhizome and leaves), and can cause stomach pains and vomiting if mistakenly ingested. Handling the plant may cause skin irritation or an allergic reaction. [40]
Iris tectorum is a plant species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Limniris. It is a rhizomatous perennial. It is native of China, Korea and Burma, with lavender-blue, bluish-violet, purple-blue, blue-lilac or sky blue flowers. There is a white form as well. It is a compact plant and is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions of the world.
Iris series Spuriae are a series of the genus Iris, in Iris subg. Limniris. They are sometimes commonly known as butterfly irises.
Iris crocea is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Limniris and the series Spuriae. It is a rhizomatous perennial plant, found in Kashmir. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant. It is also commonly known as Golden Iris or Golden Flag. It was also known as Iris aurea for a long time, before that was regarded as a synonym of Iris crocea.
Iris halophila is a species in the genus Iris. It is also in the subgenus Limniris and in series Spuriae. It is a rhizomatous perennial plant, with yellow, white or violet flowers. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions. It comes from a wide range from eastern Europe to China in Asia. It was known for a long while as a subspecies of Iris spuria, before being treated as a separate species in its own right.
Iris orientalis is a species in the genus Iris; it is also in the subgenus Limniris and in the series Spuriae. It is a rhizomatous perennial plant, from Turkey and Greece, with white flowers with a yellow mark or blotch. It was also known as Iris ochroleuca for a long time. It is commonly known as yellow banded iris in the U.S. and Turkish iris in the UK but also has some other less common names. It is very hardy and has been known to naturalize in various countries. It is widely 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.
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.
Iris sintenisii is a species in the genus Iris, in the subgenus Limniris and in series Spuriae, with tall thin stems, violet-blue flowers and long grass-like leaves. It is a rhizomatous perennial plant, from grass meadows parts of Europe, Russia, and Turkey. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.
Iris brandzae is a species in the genus Iris. It is also in the subgenus Limniris and in series Spuriae. It is a rhizomatous perennial plant, originally from Romania with violet and white flowers. It was once thought to be a subspecies of Iris sintenisii, but now classified as a separate species. It is also called Iris Brandzy or Prodan Iris in Russia. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.
Iris spuria subsp. carthaliniae is a species in the genus Iris. It is also in the subgenus of Limniris and in the series Spuriae. It is a subspecies of Iris spuria, a rhizomatous perennial plant, from the Caucasus region, it is a tall iris with sky blue or white flowers. It was originally described by Fomin, as a separate species before Brian Mathew in 1981, added it to Iris spuria as one of its many subspecies. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.
Iris spuria subsp. demetrii is a species of the genus Iris, part of a subgenus series known as Iris subg. Limniris and in the series Iris ser. Spuriae. It is a subspecies of Iris spuria, a rhizomatous perennial plant, from the Caucasus region, with blue-violet flowers. It is commonly known as Dimitry iris in Russia. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.
Iris spuria subsp. maritima is a species of the genus Iris, part of a subgenus series known as Iris subg. Limniris and in the series Iris ser. Spuriae. It is a subspecies of Iris spuria, a beardless, rhizomatous perennial plant, from coastal regions Europe and north Africa with deep blue-violet flowers.
Iris spuria subsp. musulmanica is a species of the genus Iris, part of a subgenus known as Limniris and in the series Spuriae. It is a subspecies of Iris spuria and is a rhizomatous perennial plant, from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkey in Asia with flowers in various shades of blue, but there are rare white forms. They have a yellow centre and darker veining. It has the common name of 'Muslim iris'. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.
Sandy iris, or sand iris, 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 Central Europe, found in Hungary, Austria, Romania, Czech Republic and Ukraine. It has grass-like leaves, a short stem and pale yellow flowers. It has had a mixed origin and was once Iris humilis subsp. arenaria, a subspecies of Iris humilis, until it was reclassified as a separate species. But many sources still state that it is either a synonym or subspecies of Iris humilis. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.
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.
Iris hoogiana 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 grassy mountainsides of Turkestan. It has long green leaves, which are slightly purple at the base, and a long slender flowering stem. The flowers are blue, ranging from sky-blue to lavender blue and blue purple. It has orange or yellow beards. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.
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.
Iris junonia is a plant species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Iris. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from Cilicia, within the Taurus Mountains. It has glaucous short leaves, tall stems with several branches, numerous flowers in various colours from blue-purple, lavender, pale blue, cream, white and yellow, with brown veining and white tipped orange beards. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions. Its status is still unclear, if it is a synonym of Iris germanica or a separate species.
Iris pallida subsp. cengialti is a subspecies in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Iris. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from Italy and Slovenia. It has yellowish-green, glaucous, lanceolate or ensiform leaves, tall stem, green flushed with purple spathes, 2 short branches, 2–3 scented flowers, in shades of violet, blue-violet, deep purple, blue-purple, deep blue-purple, pale purple, deep blue, to mid-blue. It has a yellow or orange tipped beard. It was originally published as Iris cengialti but then re-classified as a subspecies of Iris pallida, and known as Iris pallida subsp. cengialti, but it is often still called Iris cengialti. It is cultivated as an ornamental garden plant in temperate regions.
Iris subbiflora is a plant species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Iris. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from Portugal and Spain in Europe. It has evergreen broad leaves, forming dense clumps, it has dwarf stems in late spring,, with 1 upright fragrant flower, in shades of purple, light red purple, grey-blue, blue-violet, or dark violet. It has a beard which is generally blue, purple, or violet, but can fade to white, dull yellow, or dark yellow. After being found in 1804, it was once a separate species until the late 70s, when it was reclassified as subspecies of Iris lutescens, and renamed Iris lutescens subsp. subbiflora. But in the 80s it was returned to an independent species but some authors and references still class the species as a synonym or subspecies. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.
Media related to Iris spuria at Wikimedia Commons Data related to Iris spuria at Wikispecies