■ (SPEC) Iris tigridia Bunge

1829, Botanical author Bunge

Iris tigridia Bunge (Alexander von Bunge, 1829, From Altai region to Manchurica); Section Pseudoregelia . Height 4-6" (10-15 cm); Lilac , mauve, or deep blue with dark purple mottling, beard white tipped yellow.

See below:

• * References
• * Synonyms
• * Chromosome counts

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References

DN; Fl. Alt. 1. 60. 1829;
Ledeb. Ic. Fl. Ross. tab. 342. 1830, illustrated in color;
Fig. 20. Waddick & Zhao, Iris of China, 1992, illustrated in color;
Dykes, Genus Iris 153. 1913 Description. Rootstock , a slender rhizome with very crowded growths and relatively stout root fibres. Leaves , 3-6 in. by less than ¼ in., strongly ribbed, narrowing gradually to a fine point. Each tuft is sheathed at the base in conspicuously veined or ribbed, membranous sheaths, and surrounded by a few erect fibres. Stems , 1-3 in. long, 1-headed; Spathes , 1-2½ in. long, 1-2-flowered. Pedicel , short. Tube , short at first but about I in. long when the flower is fully expanded. Falls , bearded, with reflexed blade, either blue purple or yellow. Standards , blue purple or yellow. Observations. This small but very floriferous Iris is not apparently in cultivation. Specimens of it are remarkable for the close growth of the shoots, which are enclosed at the base in white membranous sheaths ; the latter are surrounded with the fibrous remains of old leaves. The root fibres are noticeably thick, for such diminutive plants. The only other species with which I. tigridia may be confused is I. Potanini, which however always has blunt leaves cased at the base in very abundant fibres, while the leaves of I. tigri'dia taper gradually to a fine point. (See Fig. r 8, p. I 53, and Fig. r 9, p. r 54.) There seems to be no good ground for separating I. pandurata Maxim. from I. tigridia. Maximowicz says (B. A. P. I.e.) that his I. pandurata is similar to I. tigridia but distinguished by its two-flowered spathes. The only specimens he quotes were gathered by Przewalski in Western Kansu. An examination of plants (K) from, this same locality collected both by Przewalski and Potanin show that of seven stems on one plant only one has two flowers, all the others having a single-flowered spathe, while another plant has equal numbers of r- and 2-flowered spathes. Another noticeable feature is that the perianth tube lengthens out very late. When the flower buds appear from the spathes the tube is only ¼ in. long but it rapidly grows to as much as an inch in length. Herbarium specimens are therefore apt to be more than usually misleading. Nothing is known of the cultivation of this Iris but its floriferous character would make it a desirable introduction and it would probably prove to be quite hardy.

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Synonyms

Iris pandurata Maxim.; Iris pygmaea Pallas; Iris pumilae affinis Pallas; Iris praecox Pallas. A Lilac and a pink form introduced but disappeared, Medianite 19-. Doronkin (1983 & 1985); Enkhtuya (1996),

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Chromosome counts

2n=24,34,20,40, Doronkin 1984.

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-- BobPries - 2010-03-05