Iris uniflora

Iris uniflora is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Limniris. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from Russia, Mongolia, China and Korea. It has thin grass-like leaves and stems, and purple, blue-purple or violet flowers. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.

Iris uniflora
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Iridaceae
Genus: Iris
Subgenus: Iris subg. Limniris
Section: Iris sect. Limniris
Series: Iris ser. Ruthenicae
Species:
I. uniflora
Binomial name
Iris uniflora
Pall. ex Link
Synonyms[1]
  • Iris ruthenica var. uniflora (Pall. ex Link) Baker
  • Iris uniflora f. caricina (Kitag.) P.Y.Fu & Y.A.Chen
  • Iris uniflora var. caricina Kitag.
  • Iris uniflora var. uniflora (unknown)
  • Limniris uniflora (Pall. ex Link) Rodion.

Description

Iris uniflora differs from Iris ruthenica by having thick resilient bracts (leaf on flower stem, where a flower emerges) that remain green (or yellow-green),[2] until the seeds mature.[3][4][5] On Iris ruthenica, the bracts usually dry out and die, after flowering.[2]

It has a thin creeping rhizome that is brown and branched.[6][7] The rhizome is covered with the remains of last years leaves.[2][3] It also has fibrous roots.[6]

It has slender flowering stems that grow up to 15 cm long.[3][7][2] They are occasionally branched.[7]

It has thin grass-like leaves (linear and lanceolate).[2][5] The 2–3 leaves are green and grow up from the base of the plant, measuring 10–40 cm long, 5-10mm wide.[6][3][7] The leaves later grow longer than the flowers stems after the blooming period.[6][7][2]

It blooms between May and June.[6][3] It normally has one flower but occasionally has two flowers,[6][2] which have a violet-like fragrance.[8] It has perianth tube (that measures about) 1.5 cm.[6][2]

The flowers come in shades of purple, from blue-purple to violet.[6][3][5] They are 4–4.5 cm in diameter.[6][2] They have a white veined or striped signal (at the base of the fall of the flower).[2][5]

It has 1.5 cm long stamens and 5 mm long ovary.[6]

Between July and August, it fruits (after the blooming period is over).[6][3]

It has oval/globose seed capsules (measuring 8–10 mm in diameter).[6] Which differ from other irises by being un-ribbed.[5] Inside the capsule, are round, black seeds, that have a small (fleshy-like) appendage.[3][7][5]

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 been examined several times to find its chromosome count: 2n=48, Scolovskaya; 2n=42, Doronkin 1984; 2n=16, Sok & Prob. 1986; 2n=42, Zakharjeva, 1990.[4]

In 1986, a study was carried out on 3 iris species in China, the chromosomes of Iris mandshurica, Iris uniflora and Iris bloudowii were counted. It was counted as 2n = 40.[10]

Taxonomy
dried specimen from Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris

It is written as 单花鸢尾 in Chinese script and 'dan hua yuan wei' in China.[6][11] It has the common name of 'Rock Iris' in Tibet and the Tibetan name of 'Yuki Ozawa'.[12]

It is also known as 'Single-flowered Iris' in Russia.[3][13]

It was first widely published by Peter Simon Pallas in 'Jahrbücher der Gewächskunde' (published in Berlin and Leipzig) in 1820.[11][14] But was first found and named by Link but he did not publish it widely.[1]

It was illustrated later in The Garden (magazine) page 187 on 5 September 1896.[8]

In 1892, it was thought to be a variety of Iris ruthenica (Iris ruthenica var. uniflora) by Baker (in his book, Handbook Irid. 4. 1892). which he noted was a form with narrow leaves (2—6 mm wide at anthesis, ca. 10 mm wide in fruit.[6][7] It was described as Iris uniflora var. caricina by Kitagawa in the Botanical Magazine (of Tokyo) in 1935.[6] Which is still considered a variant by the American Iris Society.[4] In 1981, Brian Mathew notes in his book 'The Iris' that "The Flora of the USSR separates this as a distinct species, distinguished from Iris ruthenica ".[4]

Iris uniflora is a tentatively accepted name by the RHS.[15]

Distribution and habitat

Iris uniflora is native to temperate regions of Asia.[11][16]

Range

It is found in Central Asia (including Transylvania),[8] Russia (including the states of Siberia,[11] Primorye[3] and Transbaikalia[3]) Mongolia,[12][11][17] Tibet,[12] Korea and China (including Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Manchuria and Qinghai ).[8][11][16]

Habitat

It grows on the grasslands,[5] (steppes)[3] on the forest margins, in deciduous woods, hillsides and mountain slopes.[6][3][7]

It was found in the Quercus forests in the Amur region of Russia.[18]

Conservation

It was rare in Russia and mentioned in an early version of the Russian Red Book of Endangered Species.[13] Currently not in the 2013 list.[19] One population of iris uniflora is now under the protection of Lazo Nature Reserve.[13]

Cultivation

It grows well in garden borders, but it only flowers in dry and sunny positions.[8] Stable in culture, winters without shelter. Can be used for rocky hills, curb and group plantings in the southern forest-steppe and steppe regions. Differ by more than I. ruthenica, confinement to dry soils. Tested: Moscow, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok.[3]

It is a specimen found in 7 Botanic Garden collections around the world.[19]

In east Siberia, Aphis neonewtoni (Pashtshenko) is found on the upper sides of the leaves of Iris uniflora.[20]

Uses

It is used within Tibetan herbal medicines, the seeds are an ingredient in a remedy used to treat de-toxification and as an insecticide. The flowers are used to treat eyesight problems and the root is used to cure freckles and ringworm.[12]

Variants

Iris uniflora has only one known variant, as others found were re-classed as synonyms.

  • Iris uniflora var. latifolia Skripka – which has a flower spike, growing taller than the foliage.[3][4]

References
  1. "Iris uniflora Pall. ex Link". theplantlist.org. 18 April 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  2. "The Planzengattung Iris". orchideenkultur.net. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  3. "Iris ruthenia". flower.onego.ru. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  4. Franco, Alain (30 November 2013). "(SPEC) Iris uniflora Pallas". wiki.irises.org (American Iris Society). Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  5. Walker, Ken (3 June 2007). "Iris uniflora". signa.org (Species Iris Group of North America). Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  6. "FOC Vol. 24 Page 303". efloras.org. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  7. Komarov, V.L. (1935). "Akademiya Nauk SSSR (FLORA of the U.S.S.R.) Vol. IV". Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  8. Richard Lynch Book of the Iris&pg=PA64 grvYTul5CSUC, p. 64, at Google Books
  9. Austin, Claire (2005). Irises: A Gardener's Encyclopedia. Timber Press, Incorporated. ISBN 978-0881927306. OL 8176432M.}
  10. Yutang, Zhao; Jingmei, Lu (February 1986). "Karyotype Studies Of 3 Species Of Genus Iris In China". Journal of Northeast Normal University. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  11. "Iris uniflora". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  12. "Tibetan medicine Iris uniflora pall antioxidant extract and preparation method and application thereof". 18 December 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  13. "The exhibition "Iris Russia"". flower-iris.ru. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  14. "Iridaceae Iris uniflora Pall. ex Link". ipni.org (International Plant Names Index). Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  15. "Iris uniflora". rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  16. "Iris uniflora Pall. ex Link". emonocot.org. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  17. "Iris uniflora Pall. ex Link". greif.uni-greifswald.de. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  18. Maria Shahgedanova (Editor) Physical Geography of Northern Eurasia&pg=PA240 3VznhD-4A_IC, p. 240, at Google Books
  19. "BGCI > PlantSearch". bgci.org (Botanic Gardens Conservation International). Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  20. R. L. Blackman, Victor F. EastopAphids on the World's Herbaceous Plants and Shrubs, p. 1077, at Google Books
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