Iris willmottiana

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Iris willmottiana
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. Scorpiris
Section: Iris sect. Scorpiris
Species:
I. willmottiana
Binomial name
Iris willmottiana
Synonyms [1]
  • Iris willmottiana(M. Foster)
  • Juno willmottiana(Foster) Vved.

Iris willmottiana is a species in the genus Iris , in the subgenus Scorpiris. It is a bulbous perennial, from Uzbekistan in central Asia. It has green broad leaves, short stems, large flowers in various shades of blue.

Contents

Description

Iris willmottiana is very similar in form to that of Iris caucasica . Sharing similar size, shape, leaf margin but having smaller flowers. [2]

It has thickened roots, [3] and it has broad leaves that are glossy lustrous green, that appear in May. [4] [3] [5] The leaves also have a thin white margin on the edges. [2]

It generally grows to a height of between 15–25 cm (6–10 in) tall, [4] in late spring or early summer. [3]

It has between 2 - 6 flowers on a short stem. [6]

The large flowers (about 6–7 cm in diameter), [3] come in various shades of blue, from intense cobalt blue, [7] pale lavender-blue, [5] pale purple, [3] to light purple. [8] The flowers are also blotched with white, [8] and flecked with deep lavender-purple. [3] The falls have a large white area and white crest or central ridge with purple marks. [5] The standards are about 1.5 cm long. [8]

Taxonomy

It was collected from Bokhara in Eastern Turkestan in 1899, by a plant collector on behalf of the Van Tubergen nurseries in Haarlem, the Netherlands. [9] It was then sent to Michael Foster [2] who then first published and described it in the 'Gardeners Chronicle' of London' in 1901. [10]

He named it after Ellen Willmott, a renowned gardener. It is one of 60 or so plants named after her. [4] Mr Foster chose Mrs Willmott due to her interest in irises. [2]

It was later illustrated in colour in Curtis's Botanical Magazine, plate number 8340, in 1912. [2]

Iris willmottiana is now an accepted name by the RHS, [11] and was verified by United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service on 3 October 2014. [12]

Native

Iris willmottiana is from Central Asia and (the former Russian state), [6] of Kazakhstan. [4] [8] or Uzbekistan. [12] It grows wild in the stony foothills of the Pamir Mountains, [4] at around 2900m above sea level. [5] It has been found in the Aksu Zhabagli, [5] [13] and Karatau Mountains, in Kazakhstan. [7]

Cultivation

It is hardy to USDA Zone 3. [8]

Although the plant is quite hardy, in the UK, it is better cultivated in a bulb frame. [4] or Alpine house, but has been grown outside. [3]

It prefers to grow in sandy loam, [14] with good drainage and in full sun. [7]

Iris willmottiana, Iris willmottiana 'Alba' and Iris warleyensis (named after Miss Willmotts garden in Essex), are all easier to find in the US than in England. [15]

The plant listed as Iris willmottiana 'Alba', is now thought to be a white form of Iris bucharica . [8] [3]

It can produce hybrids very easy with Iris magnifica and Iris graeberiana . [14]

Related Research Articles

<i>Lomelosia caucasica</i> Species of flowering plant

Lomelosia caucasica, the Caucasian pincushion flower, pincushion-flower or Caucasian scabious, is a species of flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae, native to the Caucasus, north eastern Turkey, and northern Iran. Growing to 60 cm (24 in) tall and broad, it is a clump-forming perennial with grey-green, divided leaves. Pincushion-shaped buds, borne on erect hairy, stems, open to pale blue or lavender flower heads, 4–8 cm (2–3 in) in diameter, from late summer through to autumn.

<i>Lavandula angustifolia</i> Species of plant

Lavandula angustifolia, formerly L. officinalis, is a flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, native to the Mediterranean. Its common names include lavender, true lavender and English lavender ; also garden lavender, common lavender and narrow-leaved lavender.

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

Iris giganticaerulea, the giant blue iris, is a species of iris, in the subgenus Limniris, in the series Hexagonae. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from northern America. It has long bright green leaves, very tall stems and one or two musky fragrant flowers in a range of blue shades or rarely white.

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

Iris japonica, commonly known as fringed iris, shaga and butterfly flower, is a native of China and Japan. It is a species in the genus Iris, in the subgenus Limniris and within the Lophiris section. It is a rhizomatous perennial plant, with pale blue, lavender or white flowers with an orange or yellow crest. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.

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

Iris milesii is a plant species in the genus Iris, subgenus Limniris and in the section Lophiris. It is a rhizomatous, beardless perennial plant, native to the Himalayas, India and China. It has pinkish-violet, or pinkish purple, or pinkish-lavender or pinkish lilac flowers, with a fringed yellow or orange crest. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.

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

Iris bucharica is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae. It is a bulbous herbaceous perennial, from temperate Asia, within Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It has long blue green leaves, many flowers in spring, in shades of yellow and white.

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

Iris magnifica is a bulbous flowering plant in the genus Iris, in the subgenus Scorpiris. It is native to the mountains of Central Asia, including the Zarafshan Range in Uzbekistan. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions – growing to 60 centimetres (24 in), and producing pale lilac and white flowers in spring.

Iris warleyensis is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Scorpiris. It is a bulbous perennial from Central Asia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It has long arching mid-green leaves, thin stem and spring flowers in shades of blue.

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

Iris tubergeniana is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Scorpiris. It is a bulbous perennial from Central Asia, in the former states of USSR. It has pale green, pointed or sickle shaped leaves, short flowering stem holding 1-3 spring flowers in shades of yellow.

Iris songarica 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 Central Asia, located in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It has long strap-like leaves, a long stem and 2–3 flowers in shades of violet, dark blue, to lavender blue.

Iris heweri 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. It has tall, green curved leaves, tall slender stems and purple blue or violet-blue flowers, with white and purple or lilac beard. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.

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

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.

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

Iris stolonifera 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, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. It has red-skinned stolon roots and rhizomes, glaucous, long, blue-grey leaves, and bi-coloured flowers, in various shades from milky white, to blue, purple, pale lilac, lavender and brown. It normally has blue to yellow beards on all the petals.

Iris goniocarpa is a plant species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus of Iris and in the section Pseudoregelia. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from China, India, Burma and Bhutan. It has yellow green to dark green, long leaves, slender stem and, one flower between blue, lavender-blue, lilac, blue-violet or blue-purple. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.

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

Iris hookeriana 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 the Himalayan mountains of India and Pakistan. It has long pale green or yellow green leaves, long slender stem and fragrant blue, purple or lilac flowers, that are mottled with a darker colour. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.

<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.

Iris cypriana is a plant species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Iris. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from Cyprus. It has narrow, glaucous and evergreen leaves, tall slender stem, with 2–3 branches, and 1–3 large flowers in lavender, lilac, red-lilac, to dark purple shades. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions. It is listed in some sources as a synonym of Iris × germanica.

<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 mesopotamica</i> Species of plant

Iris mesopotamica, the Mesopotamian iris, is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Iris. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from the middle East, within the countries of Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Israel. It has linear, grey-green or green broad leaves, tall stem with 2–3 branches, holding up to 9 scented flowers, in shades of violet, purple, lavender blue and light blue, with a yellow and white or orange and white beard. It is listed as a synonym of Iris × germanica in some sources. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions, including being planted in graveyards and cemeteries but may also be used for celebrations and decoration.

Iris purpureobractea is a plant species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Iris. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from the cliffs and forest glades on the mountains of Turkey. It has straight or falcate shaped leaves, stem with several branches, the stem has purple spathes, it has up to 8 fragrant flowers, in various colours between yellow or blue. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.

References

  1. "Iris willmottiana Foster". theplantlist.org. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "(SPEC) Iris willmottiana Fos". wiki.irises.org (American Iris Society). 20 April 2010. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Iris willmottiana". encyclopaedia.alpinegardensociety.net. 2001. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "IRIS FLEUR-DE-LYS Iridaceae (Iris family)". www.hillkeep.ca. 12 May 2008. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Juno irises S-Z". pacificbulbsociety.org. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  6. 1 2 Cassidy, G.E.; Linnegar, S. (1987). Growing Irises (Revised ed.). Bromley: Christopher Helm. p. 146. ISBN   0-88192-089-4.
  7. 1 2 3 "Iris willmottiana". rareplants.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 November 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey (Editors) The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification , p. 259, at Google Books
  9. Audrey Le Lièvre Miss Willmott of Warley Place: Her Life and Her Gardens at Google Books
  10. "Iris". ipni.org (International Plant Names Index). p. 143. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  11. "Iris willmottiana". www.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  12. 1 2 "Iris willmottiana". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  13. "Celestial Silk Road 5th-21st June 2016". viranatura.com. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  14. 1 2 "Great Lakes Chapter, North American Rock Garden Society Fall Newsletter" (PDF). glcnargs.com. September 2006. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  15. Greer, Germaine (19 April 2003). "Country Notebook: Ellen Willmott". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 12 April 2010.

Other sources

Wikispecies-logo.svg Data related to Iris willmottiana at Wikispecies