-------Brian Mathew and Turhan Baytop provided the following description in the Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society. "Of the larger members of the Spuria group of irises (ie.Series Spuriae (Diels) Lawrence) having yellow flowers there are only three which occur as wild plants: I. spuria L. subsp. halophila (Pall.) Mathew and Wendelbo, I. crocea Jacq. ex Baker ( I. aurea Lindl.) and the newly described I. xanthospuriae. A fourth, I. monnieri DC., is thought to be a hybrid, possibly between the white I. orientalis Miller ( I. ochroleuca L.) and I. xanthospuria. The question of the origin of I. monnieri has been studied and discussed by Dr. Lee W. Lenz (1963). The evidence presented, together with the report by W. R. Dykes (1924) that the majority of seedlings from self-fertilized plants resemble I. orientalis strongly indicated that this well-known plant is indeed a hybrid. In general form of flower and appearance I. monnieri is similar to xanthospuria but the flowers are of a paler lemon yelow. The three yellow-flowered wild members of the Spuria group can be distinguished as follows; 1a. Falls (outer perianth segments) 4-6 cm long, the claw (haft) much longer than the lamina (blade); flowers 6-7 cm diameter, pale dingy yellow to deeper yellow, usually with dark veins; plant 60-90 cm in height; leaves 0.7-1.2 cm wide… I.spuria ssp. halophila 1b. Falls 5.5-8 cm long, the claw equal to or shorter than the lamina; flowers 9-18 cm diameter, deep rich yellow; plant 50-150 cm in height; leaves 1-2 cm wide…........2. 2a. Lobes of style branches 10 mm long, narrowly triangular, not sharply reflexed; falls about 7.5-8 cm long; claw about 3 cm long; lamina 4.5-5 cm long, 2-2.5 cm wide, rather oblong or somewhat lanceolate in shape; plant to 150 cm in height; leaves 1.5-2 cm wideflower 12-18 cm diameter…. I.crocea. 2b. Lobes of style branches 4-5 mm long; claw 2.5-3 cm long; lamina 3-4 cm long, 2-3.3 cm wide, orbicular, broadly elliptic or ovate; plant 50-100 cm in height; leaves 1-1.9 cm wide; flower 9-11 cm diameter….............I. xanthospuria. I. xanthospuria B. Mathew and T. Baytop sp. nov., I. croceae similis sed styli ramorum lobis brevioribus, floribs minoribus et lamine perianthii segmentorum exteriorm 3-4 cm longa, Plant 50-100 cm in height. Rhizome thick, clothed with the fibrous remains of leaf bases. Leaves 1-1.9 cm wide, rather tough and rigid, grey-green. Stem usually with 1 or 2 compact erect branches with 2-5 flowers. Spathes 6-12 cm long, green with membranous margins. Pedicels about 2-4 cm long Ovary with a slender beak-like apex 1.5-2 cm long. Perianth tube 0.7-1 cm long. Flowers wholly golden yellow; falls 5.5-7 (-7.5) cm long, the claw unwinged and +- parallel-sided or slightly winged, 2.5-3 cm long, 0.7-1.2 (-1.5) cm wide at the widest point, the lamina orbicular, broadly elliptic or ovate 3-4 cm long, 2-3.3 cm wide; standards oblanceolate, 5-6 (-7) cm long, 1.3-2.4 cm wide, often emarginate or retuse; style branches 4-4.5 cm long, 0.7-1.2 cm wide ### sharply recurved broadly triangular ### 4-5 mm long. Capsules oblong, 4-5 cm ## with a tapering beak up to 3 cm long, ### 40. Type: Turkey C2 Mugla, between M### and Koycegiz, 7km from Koycegiz, 40 ### 26 April 1977, T. Baytop ISTE 36 ## (holotype Kew, isotype Istanbul University, Faculty of Pharmacy). Flowering period in the wild: April-May. Habitat: Stream sides and m### meadows, at low altitudes. Distribution: southwest and south Turkey in the vilayets (provinces) of Mugla @@@ hatray, possibly also Icel and Adana. Although it has only now been given a formal name and description, I xanthospria already has a 35 year-old history of cultivation and is in America proving to be a valuable parent for a race of cold hardy garden hybrids. In 1948 Dr. Lee W. Lenz obtained some seeds from Professor Haydar Bagda of Ankara University and these gave rise to a plant which he considered to be a rather distinct Speciecies calling it "Turkey Yellow". The absence of other collections and lack of detailed information prevented any furthoer progress towards describing it as a new species and it is only recently that new gathe## have bneen made enabling a decision ### its status to be reached. In addition to The collection from Professor Bagda it has now been collected by Dr. P. H. Davis 13573) in 1974 in the south west Turkish province of Mugla, near the tow### Dalaman, and plants from this introduction are still in cultivation at Kew. ### recently , in 1877, it has been recorded by T. Baytop (ISTE 36675) between M### and Koycegiz - introduced by Lee Lenz 1948 |