Iris narbutii | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Order: | Asparagales |
Family: | Iridaceae |
Genus: | Iris |
Subgenus: | Iris subg. Scorpiris |
Section: | Iris sect. Scorpiris |
Species: | I. narbutii
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Binomial name | |
Iris narbutii | |
Synonyms [1] | |
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Iris narbutii is a species of flowering plant in the genus Iris, subgenus Scorpiris. It is a bulbous perennial from Central Asia. It has dark green leaves, short stems, spring flowers in shades of greenish-yellow to pale violet.
Iris narbutii has a brown bulb with papery tunic, [2] the bulb is approx. 2 centimetres (0.79 in) in diameter. [3] It has thickened roots, [4] which look similar to fat short pointed tubers. [5] The thin, channelled dark green leaves emerge before the flowers, they are 5–25 mm wide (close to the base of the plant). [4] [6] [3] They gradually narrow to an apex (falcate-like or lanceolate), [2] and have a very visible white edging/margin. [4]
One of the shorter Juno irises, similar to Iris leptorrhiza, [2] only growing to a height of 5–10 cm (2.0–3.9 in). [4] [6] [7]
It blooms in early-mid spring, [3] flowering between January and April depending on the weather conditions. [4] [2] [6] It has 1 or 2 scentless flowers per bulb stem. [4] [3] [7]
The flowers come in a range of shades from greenish-yellow to pale violet. [2] [6] [7] The green-purple perianth tube is about 4–5 cm (1.6–2.0 in) long. [4] [3] It has standards (3.5–5 cm or 1.4–2.0 in) that hang downwards. [6] [8] [9] It has falls that start upright, but then the blade bends downwards, with a dark violet blotch at the tip. They have a raised white crest surrounded by a yellow zone/area. [2] [7] [9] The yellow zone can sometimes have a dark purple ring around it. [3]
It has whitish pollen. [4]
It is sometimes misspelt as 'Iris narbuti'. [10] [11]
It was first published as Juno narbutii by Olga Fedtschenko in 'Izvestiya Imperatorskago Obscestva Ljubitelej Estestvoznanija, Antropologii i Etnografii, Sostojascago pri (Imperatorskom) Moskovskom Universitete' in 1902. [12] It was later published as Iris narbutii by Boris Fedtschenko in Bull. Jard. Bot. St. Petersb. Vol.V on page 157 in 1905. [4]
Iris narbutii is now an accepted name by the RHS. [13]
It is listed in 1995 in 'Vascular plants of Russia and adjacent states (the former USSR)' by Czerepanov, S. K. [14]
It may have been named after 'Narbuta Beg'(1774-1798), a grandson of 'Abd al-Karim' ( Khanate of Kokand) of the Fergana Valley, Central Asia, where the iris was found. [15]
Iris narbutii is from Central Asia. [7] [9] Originally found on the slopes of Syr-Darya river valley. [4] [8]
It is found on the rocky, gravelly slopes of the mountains of western Tien Shan and southern Pamir Mountains. [3] Also seen near to Samarkand and Tashkent. [4]
Olga Fedtschenko had speculated that the plants from west Tien Shan, could be a separate species, due to their paler colour. [4]
In Chulbair Mountains, Uzbekistan, it is a threatened species and close to extinction. [2]
It can be seen growing in the 'Le Grand Clos Botanique Garden' in Bourgueil, France. [16]
It can be cultivated in pots, [2] or in well-drained soils in sunshine (like other Juno irises). [6]
In Russia, Vvedenskii had noted several natural hybrids including;
Data related to Iris narbutii at Wikispecies