Iris furcata

Iris furcata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Iridaceae
Subfamily: Iridoideae
Tribe: Irideae
Genus: Iris
Subgenus: Iris
Species: Iris furcata
Binomial name
Iris furcata
M.Bieb.
Synonyms

Iris pumila Linn.[1]
Iris babadagica Rzazade et Goln[2]

Iris furcata (Forked Iris) is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus of Iris. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from the Caucasus mountains, in the countries of Moldavia and the southern Ukraine. It has short, narrow, sword-shaped leaves. A slender stem, that branches beyond the midpoint, holding small purple, deep purple, blue-violet, light blue or violet flowers. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions. It is often regarded as a synonym of Iris aphylla, but it has chromosomal and morphological differences, so it may considered to be a parent species instead.

Description

Iris furcata is similar in form and flower colour to Iris aphylla.[3]:184[4] Apart from the difference in stems, in Iris furcata it branches from near to the middle of the stem, where as Iris aphylla does not branch.[4][5]

It has a short, creeping rhizome,[6] that is 2 cm long and fibrous.[4] They creep across the surface of the ground.[4]

It has short,[7] linear, ensiform (sword shaped) leaves.[2][4][6] The slender,[1] leaves can grow up to 20 cm (8 in) long.[4] and between 0.5 and 1 cm wide. Normally, about 15mm wide.[2] They more slender than Iris aphylla.[1]

It has a slender stem,[1] or peduncle,[2] that can grow up to between 15–50 cm (6–20 in) tall.[6][8]:62[9] It has branched stem,[8]:62 that branches usually from above the middle of the stem.[1][7][10] The stem is shorter and more slender than Iris aphylla.[1]

The stem has green, inflated, ovate or oblong, spathes (leaves of the flower bud), that sometimes has purple veins.[6]

The stems (and the many branches) hold between flowers in early spring,[11] or late spring and early summer,[2] or May.[12]

The flowers are smaller than Iris aphylla,[1][2][8]:119 about 3–4 cm (1–2 in) long.[2] They come in shades of purple,[3]:184[8]:62[13] deep purple,[4][7][10] blue-violet,[9] light blue or violet.[5] 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'.[3]:17 The falls have an obovate blade and narrow claw.[6] In the centre of the fall is a beard. (which has not been described). The standards are lanceolate.[6]

It has style branch that is 1.2 cm long, which is deltoid shaped and has toothed edges.[1]

After the iris has late summer,[2] it produces an elongated triangular capsule.[6] Inside the capsule, are small, reddish brown, oval, wrinkled and rather compressed seeds.[1][2] They are 4-5mm long and 2-3mm wide.[2]

They are smaller than Iris aphylla seeds. 53-56 of Iris furcata seeds weighs 1 gram in weight. Whereas Iris aphylla 32-35 seeds weighs 1 gram in weight.[2]

Biochemistry

In 1961, a study was carried out on various irises in USSR, including Iris furcata.[14] The karyotype of Iris furcata is distinct from that of Iris aphylla, it may be better considered an ancestral form.[1][9][14]

As most irises are diploid, having two sets of chromosomes, this can be used to identify hybrids and classification of groupings.[3]:18 It has a chromosome count of 2n=24.[1][2][9] It was counted by Randolph and Mitra in 1961.[10]

Note; Iris aphylla is a tetraploid with a count of 2n = 48.[2][6]

Taxonomy

Painting of Iris furcata in The Botanical Register by Sydenham Edwards

It is commonly known as the 'Forked Stemmed Iris',[15] or as 'Fork Iris'.[6][16]

Note; Iris dichotoma is commonly known as the 'Two-forked Iris' '.[17]

The Latin specific epithet furcata refers to 'furcatus' meaning forked[18]

It was first published and described by Friedrich August Freiherr Marschall von Bieberstein (German botanist), in 'Centuria Plantarum Rariorum Rossiae Meridionalis' (Cent. Pl. Ross. Merid.) Vol.2 page51 in 1832.[10][19][20] Centuria Pl. Ross. Merid. had not yet been published in the UK until 1823.[12]

It was also published by Bieberstein in Flora (Fl. Taur. Cauc.) Volume3 on page42 in 1819.[10]

It was also referred at one time as Iris biflora by Marschall von Bieberstein.[15]

In his book 'The Iris' in 1981, Brian Mathew was unsure on the status of the iris.[1]

As 'Iris furcata' has a diploid count, it may be an ancestral form of 'Iris aphylla',[1] (which is tetraploid). Rodionenko considered 'Iris furcata' is distinct from 'Iris aphylla'.[6][9]

It is listed as a synonym of Iris aphylla L. by United States Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service on 4 April 2003 and updated on 1 December 2004.[20]

It is listed in the Encyclopedia of Life.[21]

It is an accepted name in The Plant List (linked to Kew Gardens).[22]

Iris furcata is not yet an accepted name by the RHS, as of 26 September 2015.

Distribution and habitat

It is native to Eastern Europe.[4][6]

Range

It is found in the Caucasus mountains,[7][12][23] between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.[1][9][24] Within (the former southern Russian states,[5]) countries of Moldovia and Ukraine.[3] :184[7][8]:119

It has also been found in Lazistan in Georgia, with Iris taochia,[13][14]

It is found in the Caucasus with other mountain flora including Anemone fasciculata, Anemone raminculoides, Caltha popypetala, Veratium lobelianum, Palsatilla armena, Corydalis persica, Fritilaria caucasica, Betonica grandiflora, Prunus spinosa, Sedum pilosum, Sempervivum transcaucasicum, Malus orientalis and Pyrus caucasicus.[23]

Habitat

It grows on the dry,[2][24] open pastures,[12] or steppes,[6][13] in among bushes on the mountain slopes,[16] and beside the edges of woodlands.[6]

They can be found at an altitude of around 1,500 ft (460 m) above sea level.[6]

Conservation

It is widespread in the wild,[3] :184 so very common.[7] Various colonies of the iris are protected.[4]

Cultivation

It is cold hardy.[7] Can also tolerate conditions in St. Petersburg, Russia.[2][16]

It prefers to grow in well drained soil, and can tolerate alkaline soils.[4] It can also be grown in peat soils.[11]

It prefers to be kept dry during summer.[2][7][16] The iris is prone to virus in damp conditions.[4]

It also prefers to be situated in positions in light shade.[2][16]

It can be grown in rockeries.[4]

It is prone to slug or snail damage.[4]

It was grown in Dorpat, Russia in 1820,[16] then in 1838 in the Imperial Botanical Garden of St. Petersburg.[2][16] It was grown in the Botanical Garden of Moscow in 1948.[16] It is also cultivated in Stavropol.[16]

It is also grown in the Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanic Garden in Turkey.[25]

It is mostly grown by collectors and iris enthusiasts.[4]

Hybrids and Cultivars

Iris furcata was used in iris breeding programmes,[2][16] to create smaller sized irises and better branching.[5]

Toxicity

Like many other irises, most parts of the plant are poisonous (rhizome and leaves), if mistakenly ingested can cause stomach pains and vomiting. Also handling the plant may cause a skin irritation or an allergic reaction.[26]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 British Iris Society (1997) A Guide to Species Irises: Their Identification and Cultivation, p. 26, at Google Books
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 "Iris Furkat or bovine". vashsad.ua. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Austin, Claire (2005). Irises; A Garden Encyclopedia. Timber Press. ISBN 0881927309.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Chapter I Rhizomatous Iris (Part 4) Pumilae". irisbotanique.over-blog.com. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Waters, Tom (October 2010). "A Hybridizer's Guide to Bearded Species". telp.com. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Fork Iris (Iris furcata. Iridaceae)". molbiol.ru. 9 May 2006. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Kramb, D. (5 September 2004). "Iris furcata". signa.org (Species Iris Group of North America). Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Cassidy, George E.; Linnegar, Sidney (1987). Growing Irises (Revised ed.). Bromley: Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-88192-089-4.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Iris summary" (PDF). pacificbulbsociety.org. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Higgins, Betsy (7 May 2015). "(SPEC) Iris furcata Bieb.". wiki.irises.org (American Iris Society). Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  11. 1 2 Caledonian Horticultural Society, Edinburgh Memoirs, Volume 3 (1825) at Google Books
  12. 1 2 3 4 William Curtis, Samuel Curtis, John Sims, Joseph-Dalton Hooker, William Jackson Hooker (Editors) The Botanical Magazine: Or, Flower Garden Displayed Etc, Volume 50 (1823), p. 2361, at Google Books
  13. 1 2 3 "The Pontic Alps". greentours.co.uk. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  14. 1 2 3 Randolph, Lowell Fritz; Mitra, Jyotirmay (November 1961). "Karyotypes of Iris Species Indigenous to the USSR". American Journal of Botany. Botanical Society of America. 48 (10): 862–870. doi:10.2307/2439526. JSTOR 2439526.
  15. 1 2 Sydenham Edwards and John Lindley The Botanical Register: Consisting Of Coloured Figures Of Exotic Plants Cultivated in British Gardens with their history and mode of treatment. (1824), p. 801, at Google Books
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "The exhibition "Iris Russia"". flower-iris.ru. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  17. ↑ Annals of Horticulture and Year book of Information on Practical Gardening for 1847, p. 73, at Google Books
  18. ↑ D. Gledhill The Names of Plants, p. 172, at Google Books
  19. ↑ "Iridaceae Iris furcata M.Bieb.". ipni.org (International Plant Names Index). Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  20. 1 2 "Taxon: Iris furcata M. Bieb.". ars-grin.gov (Germplasm Resources Information Network). Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  21. ↑ "Iris furcata". eol.org. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  22. ↑ "Iris furcata M.Bieb. is an accepted name". theplantlist.org. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  23. 1 2 "Political Administrative Region (marz): Lori" (PDF). rec-caucasus.org. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  24. 1 2 Kaššák, Pavol (2012). "Secondary Metabolites Of The Choosen Genus Iris Species". Acta univ. agric. et silvic. Mendel. Brun. 32 (8): 269–280. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  25. ↑ "Annual Report 2007/2008" (PDF). rbge.org.uk. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  26. ↑ David G Spoerke and Susan C. SmolinskeToxicity of Houseplants, p. 236, at Google Books

Other sources

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