■ (SPEC) Iris tectorum Maxim.

1871, Botanist Maximowicz

Iris tectorum Maxim. (Karl Johann Maximowicz, 1871, Central and southwest China); Subgenus Limniris; "Evansia"; 10-15" (25-35 cm), Blue;

See below:

• * References
• * Synonyms
• * Chromosome counts
• * Variations
• * Hybrids
• * Distribution and Cultivation

---

References

Bull. Acad. Pet. 15: 380. 1871; Flor. Serres 22: 23. 1874, illustrated in color; (Introduced Eng. 1874);
Gartenflora [E. von Regel], vol. 21: t. 716 (1872)
Waddick & Zhao, Iris of China, 1992, illustrated in color.
Hooker provides the following notes in Curtis's Botanical Magazine table 6118; September, 1874; "Although the plant here figured came from Whampoa in China, where it was cultivated by Dr. Hance, Her Brittannic Majesty's Vice-Consul at that port, there can be no question but that it is the Japanese Iris tectorum of Maximovicz, which grows in fields about Yokohama in Japan, and is likewise cultivated by the Japanese. It differs from Maximovicz's description, but not from native specimens, in having three spathes, which are acute or acuminate-characters which (with some others of foliage that are very variable) induced Dr. Hance to publish it as a new species, under the name of tomiolopha, in allusion to its cut crest. On the other hand it differs from Dr. Hance's description in the spreading inner perianth-segments, a character probably due to cultivation, as it occurs in the splendid Iris Kaempferi var. Hendersoni, lately exhibited in the Royal Horticultural Society by Messrs. Henderson, and which is unquestionably a form of I. laevigata, with a spreading perianth. With the North American I. cristata, to which it was referred by the late Professor Miquel, it has no near affinity, but it has with the Himalayan I. decora, wall, of Nepal. I am indebted to Mr. Bull for the specimen here figured, which was raised from seeds by Dr. Hance from his garden in Whampoa, and which flowered in April, 1874 *Descr.* Rootstock creeping, tuberous, annulate. Leaves about a foot long, by three-quarters to one and a quarter inches broad, ensiform, scarcely glaucous. Scape nearly terete, about as long as the leaves. Flowers three to four inches in diameter. Spathes three, herbaceous, green, erect, longer than the perianth-tube, acute. Pedicel about as long as the ovary, Perianth-tube one inch long; outer segments one and a half inches broad, obovate, margin crisped and waved, pale lilac streaked with violet; claw half as long as the limb, white; crest running up the claw and half the limb, half an inch deep, white and lilac, deeply laciniate; inner segments rather narrower than the outer, spreading, pale lilac, claw short. Stigmas half as long as the perianth-segments recurved, lilac, segments coarsely toothed."
The garden. An illustrated weekly journal of horticulture in all its branches [ed. William Robinson], vol. 50: , fig. 2 (1896)
Gartenflora [E. von Regel], vol. 57: t. 1571 (1908)
Dykes, The Genus Iris, 1913 Description. Rootstock , a stout, pale, buff-coloured rhizome with sessile shoots, not producing stolons, as do most of the other members of the Evansia section. Leaves , thin, pale green, ribbed, 12-18 in. long by 1-2 in. broad, tapering to a point. Stem , about 12 in. or rather more in a well-grown plant, bearing reduced leaves and one or two lateral heads. Spathe , 2-3 flowered, valves green, pointed, 1½-2 in. long. Pedicel , about ½ in., but becoming eventually somewhat longer. Ovary , rounded, trigonal, green. Tube , 1-1½ in., brown purple. Falls , blade almost orbicular, marked with deep lilac veins and mottlings on a paler ground ; crest white, marked with brown violet, deeply and irregularly laciniated ; haft about half as long as the blade, with red lilac veins on a white ground, and wavy edges. Standards , blade lilac, obovate, suddenly contracting to a short haft, of which the edges curl over to form a tube. The standards are spreading and slightly concave on the upper surface. Styles , narrow, over an inch long. Crests , quadrate, finely serrated. Stigma , prominent, bilobed, blue. Filaments , about equal in length to the anthers, colourless. Anthers , cream coloured. Pollen , white. Capsule , oblong, rounded with 6 ribs, walls of thin tough texture, with a coarsely netted surface, rather more than 1 ½ in. long. Seeds , numerous, globose or pyriform, dark black brown, with small but distinct cream-coloured aril.
Krel. 1875; Macoun; Van W. 1912; Farr 1921; Francis 1920; Sheets 1928; Starker 1938; Van T. 1938;

---

Synonyms

Roof Iris; chinensis, Bunge: cristata, Miq.; fimbriata, Klatt; germanica, Somoku Dzusetsu; Rosthornii, Diels; tomiolopha, Hance.

---

Chromosome counts

2n=28, Simonet, 1932; 2n=32, Sharma, 1970; 2n=28, Chimphamba, 1973; 2n=28, Karihaloo,1978; 2n=28, Karihaloo,1984; 2n=28, Huiang, 1986; 2n=36, Mao & Xue, 1986; 2n=28, Huang 1989. 2n=32, Dong et al., 1994.

---

Variations

Iris tectorum cultivars; 'Alba'; 'Adamgrove Strain'; 'Atrocaeruleum' 'Burma Form' 'Freckletec', 'Japan Form' 'Lilacina', 'Middleton Blue', 'Moon Gold', 'Norris Strain', 'Oliver Twist', 'Taiwan Form', 'Tectorum Alba', 'Tectorum album semi plenum' TECTORUM LILACINA, TECTORUM MAJOR, 'Tectorum Sir Arthur Hort's variety 'Tetratec', 'Variegated tectorum' 'Woolong'

---

Hybrids

Iris tectorum crosses 'Ariel-tec', 'Dorothea', 'Dragonscrest', 'Flying Dragon', 'Honiana', 'Loptec', 'Lucilla', 'Paltec', 'Queen's Grace', 'The Ridges', 'Toltec'

---

Distribution and Cultivation

---

Please do not enter images that are not your own without owners' permission, this is against Wiki policy

"Although the Encyclopedia is free to all, it is supported by Emembership in AIS, If you would like to help sustain this reference, for $15 you can become an Emember, click here."

Interested in Iris Species? Please visit the: Species Iris Group of North America website.

---

---

-- ThomasSilvers - 2009-12-10