■ (SPEC) Iris verna L.

1753, Botanical author Linnaeus

_Iris verna_ L. (Carolus Linnaeus, 1753, Eastern United States); Section Limniris , Series Vernae , 2-3" (4-6 cm), Color Code-B1M; Blue flowers with orange signal stripe on falls; Linneaus in Species Plantarum ed 1: 39. 1753; Van T. 1900; Vernal Iris; nana, Pers. Syn.; verna dubia' fragrant. See below:

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

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References:

Curtis's Botanical Magazine 133: tab. 8159. 1907; Iris verna had been confused with Iris ruthenica in England around 1811 and the table 1393 for Iris ruthenica in Curtis's Botanical Magazine provides this information on verna; "Verna was first instituted a species by Gronovius in his "Flora Virginica," from the dried plant in Clayton's Herbarium, still preserved in Sir Joseph Bank's Museum; from him it has been adopted by Linneaus and subsequent authors; whose details however afford but little assistance in discriminating it from the present species[ruthenica]. But a reference to the prototype in the above herbarium shewed us that verna was either a mere variety of cristata Bot. Mag. No. 412.) with narrower leaves and smaller flower; or if specifically distinct far nearer akin to that than the present species, from which it differs by a sessle flower having a long filiform tube equal to or longer than the limb and about even with its long narrow spathe. Since the first adoption by authors of verna into their systems, the figure from Plukenet's work has been uniformly repeated by them as its synonym; now this figure any attentive observer will soon find to belong to cristata;
Dykes in The Genus Iris, 1913Description.Rootstock , a slender rhizome, not unlike that of I. pumila. Leaves , ensiform, of a glaucous green, tinged with pink at the base ; about 4-6 in. long at flowering time and afterwards increasing. Stem , very short. Spathes , green, acuminate, divergent, exposing the tube, 1½-2 m. long. Pedicel , none. Ovary , trigonal. Tube , rounded, trigonal, 1½ m. long. Falls . Obovate-cuneate, I½ in. by ¼ in. The haft bears a broad pubescent band of orange, dotted with brown near the base and edged with white slightly veined with brown-lilac. The orange band extends on to the blade, which is of a uniform blue lilac. Standards . The obovate blade narrows gradually into the long linear haft. Both blade and haft are of the same uniform blue-lilac colour as the blade of the falls. Styles , keeled, of a paler lilac colour, not separating for about ¼ in. above the base of the segments. Crests , large, triangular. Stigma , entire. Filaments , colourless or pale mauve, longer than the anthers. Anthers , pale blue. Pollen , cream. Capsule , about ¾ in. long, trigonal with a groove on each face, blunt at the base and tapering to a point above. Seeds , pyriform, light yellowish brown with a distinct white raphe.Observations.I. verna seems to stand entirely apart from all other Irises. It is sometimes confused in dealing with herbarium material with I. cristata. It differs, however, in its foliage and in the shape of the segments. Moreover it has erect standards, while those of I. cristata spread almost horizontally. For some reason, it is not an easy Iris to cultivate. In my experience it dislikes a very hot dry soil and does better where the soil is not allowed to become absolutely dry in summer. In half shade in peaty soil, an old plant of I. verna flowered so profusely in 1910 that it formed few new growths and seemed to have exhausted its strength. It is probable that we do not yet know the conditions under which it thrives.It seems impossible to group I. verna with any other species in the genus, for when not in flower it would be taken for a Pogoniris and yet it has no trace of a beard but merely a golden pubescence of unicellular hairs. It is difficult to see why it was ever classed with I. dichotoma in the Pardanthopsis section.
Edwards in Rhodora 1947
Walcott, Mary Vaux, North American wild flowers, vol. 1: t. 13 (1925-1927)
in 1929 Small had described the mountain form Addisonia 14: 1: 15. March 1929
Small 1931 gave a description of the coastal form in Addisonia and one can read this at the following link http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/26186#page/45/mode/1up in the Biodiversity Heritage Library. .
Ainsley 1928;
Hocker 1938; 1936
Starker 1938;
Williams-I.L. 1938; F & F 1939;
Marshall 1939;
2n=42, Simonet, 1934.

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Variations

Iris verna L.

• var. verna Fernald see 'Vernapied'
• var. smalliana Fernald 'Vernamont'

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Hybrids

No accepted hybrids with other species

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Distribution and Cultivation

Distribution: The distribution of the species gives clues as to its cultural requirements, although plants in cultivation can often tolerate a wider range of variables: The species is found in the following region: Eastern U.S.A. recorded from the following states: Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Alabama, Arkasas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky,Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington DC>Bonap's North American Plant Atlas shows the following map. Reproduced by permission of Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2015. Taxonomic Data Center. (http://www.bonap.net/tdc). Chapel Hill, N.C. [maps generated from Kartesz, J.T. 2015. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP). (in press)]
Cultivation:

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-- BobPries - 2010-02-11