Iris camillae

Iris camillae is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Iris and in the section Oncocyclus. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from Azerbaijan. It has narrow, falcate (sickle-shaped) leaves, medium-sized stem and large flowers, where the flower colour is very variable (especially in the wild), ranging from violet, purple, pale blue, and also yellow, and occasionally bi-colour forms are found. It has a yellow beard. It is rarely cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions, due to its environmental conditions of its natural habitat.

Iris camillae
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. camillae
Binomial name
Iris camillae
Synonyms[2]

None known

Description

It has a small,[3][4] red rhizome, which is about 1 cm long,[5] and medium thick.[6][7] Underneath the rhizome are long secondary roots.[5] The rhizome and roots make a creeping plant.[4]

It has narrow,[5] falcate (sickle-shaped),[3][6][8] leaves, that can grow up to between 20–40 cm (8–16 in) long.[5] They begin to grow in late November and fade after summer, when the plant becomes dormant.[5]

It has a slender stem or peduncle, that can grow up to between 20–40 cm (8–16 in) tall.[7][9][10]

The stem has 3 acute, carinate (ridged or keeled), lanceolate, (scarious) membranous, spathes (leaves of the flower bud).[4] It also has long pedicels and a perianth tube which is longer than the ovary.[4]

The stems hold 1 terminal (top of stem) flower, blooming in spring, in April.[4] The flower is similar in form to an Iris pallida flower.[5]

The flowers are 6–9 cm (2–4 in) in diameter,[6][7][11] come in various colours,[12][13][14] from violet,[3] purple to pale blue, and also yellow,[3][4] and occasionally bi-colour forms are found.[5][8][9] Up to 16 colour forms or hybrids,[13] have been found and noted.[12]

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'.[15] The falls are broadly obovate, deflexed (folded over) and slightly narrowed at apex,[4] or slightly spoon-shaped.[14] In purple shade forms, they have a violet,[4][14] or dark purple signal patch.[6] In the middle of the falls, is a row of short hairs called the 'beard', which is yellow,[5][6][13] The erect,[4] standards are broader,[4][6] or larger than the falls,[6][7][8] They are also a similar colour to the falls,[4][6][8] but they can be slightly paler than the falls.[3]

It has style branches that are recurved and shorter than the falls.[4]

After the iris has flowered, it produces a seed capsule, which has not yet been described.

Biochemistry

As most irises are diploid, having two sets of chromosomes, this can be used to identify hybrids and classification of groupings.[15] In 1977, 47 species of the irises in the Oncocyclus section were analysed,[8][16] and it was found to have a chromosome count of 2n=20.[5][6][10]

Taxonomy

It is commonly known as Kamilla's iris.[1][17]

It is sometimes called Iris camilla.[16]

It has not been recorded what the Latin specific epithet camillae actually refers to/

It was first collected on 29 April 1928, by A. Kolakovsky in Transcaucasia, Azerbajdzhan.[18]

It was then first published and described by Alexander Alfonsovich Grossheim in Schedae ad Herbarium Plantae orientales exsiccatae (Sched. Herb. Pl. Or. Exsicc.) Vol.15 on page 40 in 1928.[2][4][19] Which was edited by B. K. Schischkin,[8][20] in Tiflis.[21]

It was verified by United States Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service on 4 April 2003 and then updated on 2 December 2004.[20]

It is listed in the Encyclopedia of Life,[17] and in the Catalogue of Life.[22]

Iris camillae is an accepted name by the RHS.[23]

Although, it has discussed by the British Iris Society and D. Kramb (of the Species Iris Group of North America), that it may have a hybrid origin between Iris iberica, Iris paradoxa, and Iris acutiloba,[8] but this has not yet been proved.[3]

Distribution and habitat

It is native to temperate Asia.[20]

Range

It is endemic,[1][4] to the Transcaucasian region,[6][10][11] within the country of Azerbaijan,[5][13][14][20] in the districts of Kazakh, Tauz and Khokali.[1][3] Including around Lake Kazan-Gel,[6][7][24] or Qazangöl Lake in the Caucasus,[12] on the river Kura.[24]

Habitat

It grows on the rocky,[5] or stony,[4][6] dry steppes.[1][24]

They can be found at an altitude of 400 to 600 m (1,300 to 2,000 ft) above sea level.[1]

Conservation

Iris camillae is a threatened wild plant,[5] and was in 1989 listed in the Red Data Book of Azerbaijan,[1][6] which helps with its protection.[5] It was re-assessed by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) on 11 October 2006, as vulnerable,[17] as it is only known 4 sites, with a limited population range of about 50 km2.[1][3] It is threatened due to over-collection of the flowers, for ornamental uses.[1]

Cultivation

It is not hardy enough, to be grown outdoors, it should be grown in a bulb frame or greenhouse. It is recommended to be planted late in Autumn, with dolomite and limestone chippings within the soil mix. It also needs feeding when in growth.[3] It needs to be grown in full sun.[5]

It was tested for growth in Leningrad Botanic Garden, in Russia.[4] A herbarium specimen is found within Kew Royal Botanic Gardens,[18] and plants are grown in the Botanical Garden of the Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan.[1]

Propagation

Irises can generally be propagated by division,[25] or by seed growing. Irises generally require a period of cold, then a period of warmth and heat, also they need some moisture. Some seeds need stratification, (the cold treatment), which can be carried out indoors or outdoors. Seedlings are generally potted on (or transplanted) when they have 3 leaves.[26]

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.[27]

References
  1. Hadjiev, V. "Iris camillae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  2. "Iris camillae Grossh. is an accepted name". theplantlist.org (The Plant List). 23 March 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  3. "Iris camillae whitish standards". rareplants.co.uk. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  4. Komarov, V.L. (1935). "Akademiya Nauk SSSR (FLORA of the U.S.S.R.) Vol. IV". Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  5. "Chapter I (Part 5) I Oncocyclus" (in French). irisbotanique.over-blog.com. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  6. Kramb, D. (3 December 2003). "Iris camillae". signa.org (Species Iris Group of North America). Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  7. British Iris Society (1997)A Guide to Species Irises: Their Identification and Cultivation, p. 90, at Google Books
  8. Pries, Bob (8 May 2016). "(SPEC) Iris camillae Grossheim". wiki.irises.org (American Iris Society). Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  9. Cassidy, George E.; Linnegar, Sidney (1987). Growing Irises (Revised ed.). Bromley: Christopher Helm. ISBN 978-0-88192-089-5.
  10. "Iris summary" (PDF). pacificbulbsociety.org. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  11. "FOC Vol. 24 Page 308". efloras.org (Flora of China). Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  12. "The Caucasus Biodiversity Hotspot" (PDF). mobot.org. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  13. "Camilla iris (Iris camillae)" (in Russian). agbina.com. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  14. Stebbings, Geoff (1997). The Gardener's Guide to Growing Irises. Newton Abbot: David and Charles. p. 127. ISBN 978-0715305393.
  15. Austin, Claire (2005). Irises; A Garden Encyclopedia. Timber Press. ISBN 978-0881927306.
  16. Avishai, Michael; Zohary, Daniel (1977). "Chromosomes in the Oncocyclus Irises". Botanical Gazette (Bot. Gaz). 138 (4): 502–511. doi:10.1086/336956. JSTOR 2473887.
  17. "Iris camillae". eol.org. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  18. "Iris camillae Grossh. [family IRIDACEAE]". plants.jstor.org (jstor). Retrieved 10 August 2016. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  19. "Iridaceae Iris camillae Grossh". ipni.org (International Plant Names Index). Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  20. "Taxon: Iris camillae Grossh". ars-grin.gov (Germplasm Resources Information Network). Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  21. Thomas Gaskell Tuti (Editor) Flora Europaea, Volume 5, p. 380, at Google Books
  22. "Iris camillae Grossh. (accepted name)". catalogueoflife.org. September 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  23. "Iris camillae". www.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  24. "Azerbaijan, A Tour For The Alpine Garden Society". greentours.co.uk. 2014. Archived from the original on 22 October 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  25. "How to divide iris rhizomes". gardenersworld.com. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  26. Waters, Tom (December 2010). "Growing Irises from Seed". telp.com. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  27. David G Spoerke and Susan C. SmolinskeToxicity of Houseplants, p. 236, at Google Books

Sources
  • Czerepanov, S. K. Vascular plants of Russia and adjacent states (the former USSR). 1995 (L USSR)
  • Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. Flora SSSR. 1934–1964 (F USSR)
  • Mathew, B. The Iris. 1981 (Iris) 48.
  • Takhtajan, A.L. (ed.) 2006 Conspectus Florae Caucasi Vol.2 1–466. Editio Universitatis Petropolitanae.

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