Iris assadiana

Iris assadiana is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Iris. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from the deserts of Syria. It has small rhizomes, grey-green strongly curved leaves, slender stems, scented flowers in April, in shades of maroon, purple, deep purple or black. They have dark veining and it also has yellow/white beard tipped with purple. It is rarely cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.

Iris assadiana
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Iridaceae
Genus: Iris
Subgenus: Iris subg. Iris
Section: Iris sect. Oncocyclus
Species:
I. assadiana
Binomial name
Iris assadiana
Chaudh., Kirkw. & Weym.
Synonyms[1]

Iris barnumiae var. zenobiae Mouterde

Description

It has a small rhizome,[2][3] and several stolons,[4][5] which are 10–12 cm (4–5 in) long.[2][3] It can form small clumps of plants.[2]

It has 6–8,[2] grey-green,[3] strongly falcate (sickle shaped),[2] or strongly curved,[3][4] and reflexed leaves,[2] which can grow up to between 4–12 cm (2–5 in) long and about 1 cm wide.[2][3]

It has a slender stem or peduncle, that can grow up to15 cm (6 in) tall.[6][7][8]

The stems hold scented flowers in April,[2] which are 6–7.5 cm (2–3 in) in diameter,[3][8] and come in shades of maroon,[6][4] dark plum,[3] purple,[2][4] deep purple,[7][8] or black.[3][4][6] Near Qarytein, white, yellow and pale forms have been found.[2][4]

Like other irises, it has 2 pairs of petals, 3 large sepals (outer petals), known as the 'falls' and 3 inner, smaller petals (or tepals), known as the 'standards'.[9] The recurved falls,[2] are 5–6 cm (2–2 in) long and 2.5–3.5 cm wide,[2] with dark veining,[6] and a black velvet-like signal patch.[2] In the middle of the falls, also is a row of short hairs called the 'beard', which is made up of long bright yellow,[2] or white hairs,[7] with lateral short purple hairs.[2][3][7] The obovate standards, are 6–8 cm (2–3 in) long and 4–5 cm wide, and a similar colour to the falls.[2]

It has style branch that is arched, and pale orange,[7] streaked with purple,[2] or red, according to Brian Mathew.[3]

After the iris has flowered, it produces a seed capsule that is about 4 cm long.[2]

Biochemistry

As most irises are diploid, having two sets of chromosomes, this can be used to identify hybrids and classification of groupings.[9] It has had its chromosome counted.[10]

Taxonomy

It is sometimes known as 'Iris Asadi' and written as لسوسن الأسدي (باللاتينية (in Arabic script).[11]

The Latin specific epithet assadiana possibly refers to the former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad.[12]

It was first published and described by Shaukat A. Chaudhary, Grace Kirkwood & Carolyne Weymouth in 'Bot. Not.' (Botaniska Notiser) Vol.128 (Issue 4) on page401 in 1976 (1975 publ.).[7][13][14]

It was verified by United States Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service on 4 April 2003, then updated 2 December 2004[14]

It is listed in the Encyclopedia of Life,[15] and in the Catalogue of Life.[16]

Distribution and habitat

It is native to temperate Asia.[14]

Range

It is found in the Syrian Desert,[6][14][4] near Ayn al-Baydah, Al-Qaryatayn and Al-Hafar, to the west of Palmyra.[2]

It is listed as endemic plant of Syria,[3] along with 200 other vascular plants including Iris auranitica (another Oncoyclus section iris), Teucrium coniortodes, Allium pseudophanerantherum, Allium birkinshawii, Ajuga chasmophila, Echium pabotii, Astragalus qatmensis, Astragalus roessleri, Centaurea trachonitica, Salsola zenobiae, Senecio delbesianus, Thymus alfredae, Vicia kalakhensis, Onobrychis gaillardotii, and Alyssum antilibanoticum.[17]

Habitat

It grows in the chalky hills,[4][2] and gravel plains of the desert.[3][5]

They can be found at an altitude of 800 to 1,000 m (2,600 to 3,300 ft)} above sea level.[2][4][3]

Conservation

It was listed as a 'rare' plant species in Iraq in 1991, along with two other Oncoyclus section irises, Iris gatesii (also rare) and Iris heylandiana listed as 'Endangered'.[18]

Cultivation

'Oncocyclus Section' Irises are easier to grow than 'Regelia Section' Irises, but should be preferably grown under glass (in frames), to protect the irises from excess moisture (especially during winter times) and also to ensure the (shallow planted) rhizomes get the best temperatures during the growing season.

They can be grown in pots (especially in deep ones known as 'long toms'), but they need re-potting, every 2 years and extra feeding.

Watering is one of the most critical aspects of iris cultivation. The growth starts in October and carefully watering starts, water should never be poured directly on the rhizomes.[19]

Propagation

Irises can generally be propagated by division,[20] or by seed growing.

Seedlings, if germinated, may grow into a mature plant within 3–4 years, seedings are best grown also in frames or alpine houses.[19]

Toxicity

Like many other irises, most parts of the plant are poisonous (rhizome and leaves), and if mistakenly ingested can cause stomach pains and vomiting. Also, handling the plant may cause skin irritation or an allergic reaction.[21]

References
  1. "Iris assadiana Chaudhary, G.Kirkw. & C.Weymouth is an accepted name". theplantlist.org (The Plant List). 23 March 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  2. British Iris Society (1997)A Guide to Species Irises: Their Identification and Cultivation, p. 68-69, at Google Books
  3. "Iris assadiana". rareplants.co.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  4. Dominguez, Rafael Diez (27 July 2007). "Iris assadiana". signa.org (Species Iris Group of North America). Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  5. "Syrian onco trip 2011". srgc.net. 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  6. "Iris summary" (PDF). pacificbulbsociety.org. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  7. Black, John (19 January 2016). "(SPEC) Iris assadiana Chaud., Kirk., & Weym". wiki.irises.org (American Iris Society). Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  8. Cassidy, George E.; Linnegar, Sidney (1987). Growing Irises (Revised ed.). Bromley: Christopher Helm. p. 69. ISBN 0-88192-089-4.
  9. Austin, Claire (2005). Irises; A Garden Encyclopedia. Timber Press. ISBN 0881927309.
  10. Wilson, Carol A.; Padiernos, Justin; Sapir, Yuval (8 March 2016). "The royal irises (Iris subg. Iris sect. Oncocyclus): Plastid and low-copy nuclear data contribute to an understanding of their phylogenetic relationships". Taxon. 65 (1): 35–46. doi:10.12705/651.3.
  11. "Iris assadiana". alasdeka2.net. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  12. Blackhall-Miles, Robbie (2 December 2015). "Iris assadiana named, for a certain Syrian, by a botanist who thought it would help it's conservation..." twitter.com. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  13. "Iridaceae Iris assadiana Chaudhary, G.Kirkw. & C.Weymouth". ipni.org (International Plant Names Index). Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  14. "Taxon: Iris assadiana Chaudhary et al". ars-grin.gov (Germplasm Resources Information Network). Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  15. "Iris assadiana". eol.org. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  16. "Iris assadiana". catalogueoflife.org. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  17. "Syria". lntreasures.com. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  18. World Conservation Monitoring Centre, ed. (5 February 1991). "Gulf War Environmental Information Service Impact On The Land And Atmosphere" (PDF). unep.org United Nations Environment Programme. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  19. "The Plantsman Buckshaw Gardens, Holwell, Sherborne, Dorset. Oncocyclus, Regelia and Reglio-cyclus Irises" (PDF). srgc.net. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 October 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  20. "How to divide iris rhizomes". gardenersworld.com. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  21. David G Spoerke and Susan C. SmolinskeToxicity of Houseplants, p. 236, at Google Books

Sources
  • Mathew, B. The Iris. 1981 (Iris) 44.

Data related to Iris assadiana at Wikispecies

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