Iris pallida

Iris pallida, the Dalmatian iris or sweet iris, is a hardy flowering perennial plant of the genus Iris, family Iridaceae. It is native to the Dalmatian coast (Croatia) but widely naturalised elsewhere. It is a member of the subgenus Iris, meaning that it is a bearded iris, and grows from a rhizome.

Iris pallida
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Iridaceae
Genus: Iris
Subgenus: Iris subg. Iris
Section: Iris sect. Iris
Species:
I. pallida
Binomial name
Iris pallida
Synonyms[1]
  • Iris × australis var. mandraliscae (Tod.) Nyman
  • Iris × australis var. tinaei (Tod.) Nyman
  • Iris desertorum Balb. [Illegitimate]
  • Iris fulgida Berg
  • Iris × germanica subsp. pallida (Lam.) O.Bolòs & Vigo
  • Iris glauca Salisb.
  • Iris gloriosa Reider ex Berg
  • Iris hortensis Tausch
  • Iris mandraliscae Tod.
  • Iris marchesettii Pamp.
  • Iris moggridgei Baker
  • Iris odoratissima Jacq.
  • Iris pallida subsp. mandraliscae (Tod.) K.Richt.
  • Iris pallida var. odoratissima (Jacq.) Nyman
  • Iris pallida subsp. pallida (unknown)
  • Iris pallida var. rosea Prodán
  • Iris pallida subsp. sicula (Tod.) K.Richt.
  • Iris pallida subsp. tinaei (Tod.) K.Richt.
  • Iris pallidecaerulaea Pers.
  • Iris picta Spreng. [Illegitimate]
  • Iris plicata Lam.
  • Iris propendens Lange
  • Iris sicula Tod.
  • Iris swertii Lam.
  • Iris tinaei Tod.

Description

This iris prefers rocky places in the Mediterranean and Submediterranean zone and reaches sometimes montane regions at its southern range in Montenegro. It grows to a stem height of 50–80 cm (20–31 in). The leaves are bluish-green in color, and sword-shaped, 40–50 cm (16–20 in) in length, and 2.5–3 cm (0.98–1.18 in) in width. The inflorescence, produced in May/June, is fan-shaped and contains two or three flowers which are usually pale purplish to whitish.

Cultivation

It is cultivated as a garden plant, and commercially for extraction of essential oils from its rhizome (orris root).

The variegated cultivar 'Variegata' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[2][3]

Subspecies

Three subspecies of Iris pallida s.l. are recognised by some authors as species: Iris pallida subsp. cengialti,[1] (with deep purplish flowers) from Slovenia and adjacent Italy, Iris pallida ssp. illyrica,[1] from the North Dalmatian coast, and Iris pallida ssp. pseudopallida from the South Dalmatian coast.

References
  1. "Iris pallida Lam. is an accepted name". theplantlist.org (The Plant List). 23 March 2013. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  2. "RHS Plantfinder - Iris pallida Lam. 'Variegata' Hort". Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  3. "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 55. Retrieved 14 March 2018.


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