Iris timofejewii is a species of flowering plant in the genus Iris, and also in the subgenus Iris. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from the mountain slopes of the Caucasus and Dagestan. It has narrow, evergreen, falcate (sickle-shaped), grey-green (glaucous) leaves, and a short flowering stem just taller than the leaves. Each stem has 1–2 flowers in shades of violet, with white beards that have purple tips. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.
| Iris timofejewii | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Iridaceae |
| Genus: | Iris |
| Subgenus: | Iris subg. Iris |
| Section: | Iris sect. Pogon |
| Species: | I. timofejewii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Iris timofejewii | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
|
None known | |
Description
editIris timofejewii is close in form to Iris scariosa,[3] or Iris pumila.[1][4] It has a slender stem or peduncle, that can grow up to between 10–25 cm (4–10 in) tall.[5][6][7] The stem is normally taller than the foliage.[8] The stem has two acute, carinate (keeled), spathes (leaves of the flower bud).[9][10] It holds between 1,[9][11] and 2 terminal (top of stem) flowers, in late spring and early summer,[12] in June.[13] It has evergreen,[8] grey-green,[8][12][10] or blue-green,[14] or glaucous leaves.[9] They are falcate,[9][13][12] or recurved.[14] The narrow leaves,[14][10] can grow up to between 12–25 cm (5–10 in) long,[8][13] and between 5 -6mm wide.[9][12]
The flowers are very similar to aril iris species flowers.[4] The flowers are 4–6 cm (2–2 in) in diameter,[8][12] come in shades of violet,[9] from reddish-violet,[12][6] reddish brown,[8] to blue-violet,[5][7] dark violet,[13] to purple.[8][13][11] They are similar in form to Iris germanica,[8] or Iris section Regalia flowers.[10] 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 narrow,[10] and tucked,[7] falls are obovate.[9] In the middle of the falls, is a row of short hairs called the 'beard', which is white,[9][5][11] or yellow,[9][14] with purple tips.[12][5][6] The standards are oblanceolate-oblong, with round tips.[9] It has style branches that are a similar length to the falls and a perianth tube which is 4–5 times as longer than the ovary.[9] After the iris has flowered, in mid to late summer,[3] it produces a seed capsule, that is similar in form to Iris pumila.[4] The capsule is coated with a wart-like covering.[3]
The rhizomes are small,[8] stout and branched.[9] They form slowly spreading clumps.[8][13] The rhizomes are planted flush with the ground, and have long secondary roots that go deep into the soil to find nutrients.[8][14]
Biochemistry
editAs most irises are diploid, (including I. timofejewii,[4]) having two sets of chromosomes, this can be used to identify hybrids and classification of groupings.[15]: 18 It has a chromosome count: 2n=24.[8][10][5]
Taxonomy
editFirst found in Dagestan,[9][6] Iris timofejewii was first published and described by Yury Nikolaevich Voronov in 'Not. Syst. Herb. Hort. Petrop.' vol.62,[9][16] and Bot. Mater. Gerb. Glavn. Bot. Sada R.S.F.S.R. Vol.5 on page62 in 1924.[17] It is not known who the Latin specific epithet timofejewii refers to. It was then published in Fl. Kavk. in 1928,[9] and FL. Cauc. Vol.1 on page 257 in 1928.[6]
In 1939, it was thought to be a form of Iris scariosa, then in 198 Brian Mathew classed it as a species related to Iris suaveolens.[6] It was verified by United States Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service on 4 April 2003, then updated on 18 January 2006.[17]
I. timofejewii is a tentatively accepted name by the RHS.[18]
Distribution and habitat
editIris timofejewii is native to temperate regions of Asia,[13] specifically the Eastern Caucasus,[10][5][7] and is endemic to Dagestan,[3][9][20] (including the districts of Akhvakhskiy, Akhtynskiy Botlikhskiy, Gumbetovskiy, Gunibskiy, Karabudakhkentskiy, Levashinskiy, Shamilskiy, Tsumadisnkiy, and Untsukulskiy,[19]) a republic of Russia.[17]
They can be found at an altitude of 500–1,500 m (1,600–4,900 ft) above sea level,[19] growing on the dry,[9][13][7] rocky mountain,[9] slopes,[3] (normally made of limestone,[19][8][12]) or scrubland steppes.[13][20]
Conservation
editIt once had a large population range in the 70s, but by 1981, that had been severely cutback until only 2–3 dozen individuals were remaining.[20] Then it became a protected plant species, also specimens were sent to various botanical gardens for species preservation.[21] It was then included in the Red Data Books of the RSFSR in 1988 and it is now listed in the Red Data Books of the Russian Federation (of 2008) and Dagestan (of 1998).[19] It was listed as (V) – Vulnerable.[22][23] It currently has a restricted population range in Russia, with only five spread-out locations and up to 5,000 plants.[19] It is currently listed as (E) – Endangered.[19]
It was threatened by overgrazing, the plant was eaten by cattle, to such extent that a large population of the iris, around the village of Tsudakhar was almost totally devastated between 10–15 years. Now, only 20–30 individuals have survived.[19]
In the Botanical Garden of Georgia, they have produced several self seedings of the iris and other rare irises (including Iris iberica, Iris graminea, Iris imbricata, and Siphonastilis lazica, to stop them becoming extinct.[21]
Cultivation
editIris timofejewii prefers to grow in scree-like soils, in full sun,[13] with low humidity (or in dry soils).[3][14] It can be grown within garden rockeries.[8] It needs a dry and warm summer to rest and to re-flower the next season.[12] The species was tested for hardiness in the Russian botanical gardens of Alma-Ata, Baku, Bakuriani, Tallinn and Tbilisi.[20] An attempt was tried to grow the iris in West Germany and the US (near New York City), but they were unsuccessful, due to high humidity conditions.[3]
It can normally only be found for cultivation in specialised iris nurseries.[8] Irises can generally be propagated by division,[24] or by seed growing. Seeds can be distributed around by ants and birds, which take between 2–3 years to germinate.[20]
Like other irises, it can be damaged by slugs and snails.[8]
Toxicity
editLike many other irises, most parts of the plant are poisonous (rhizome and leaves), and if mistakenly ingested can cause stomach pains and vomiting. Handling the plant may cause skin irritation or an allergic reaction.[25]
References
edit- ^ a b Murtazaliev, R. (2014). "Iris timofejewii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T200239A2643507. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T200239A2643507.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "Iris timofejewii Woronow is an accepted name". theplantlist.org (The Plant List). 23 March 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Bearded Irises (IRIS) Sem. Kasatikovye" (in Russian). flower.onego.ru. 5 September 2015.
- ^ a b c d Kelly Norris A Guide to Bearded Irises: Cultivating the Rainbow for Beginners and Enthusiasts (2012), p. 124, at Google Books
- ^ a b c d e f "Iris summary" (PDF). pacificbulbsociety.org. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f Franco, Alain (1 December 2013). "(SPEC) Iris timofejewii Woronoff". wiki.irises.org (American Iris Society). Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Kramb, D. (14 November 2004). "Iris timofejewii". signa.org (Species Iris Group of North America). Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Chapter I Rhizomatous Iris (part 2)" (in French). irisbotanique.over-blog.com. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Komarov, V.L. (1935). "Akademiya Nauk SSSR (FLORA of the U.S.S.R.) Vol. IV". Retrieved 9 October 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g Waters, Tom (October 2010). "A Hybridizer's Guide to Bearded Species". telp.com. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
- ^ a b c Cassidy, George E.; Linnegar, Sidney (1987). Growing Irises (Revised ed.). Bromley: Christopher Helm. p. 119. ISBN 978-0-88192-089-5.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Iris timofejewii". encyclopaedia.alpinegardensociety.com. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Iris timofejewii". wrightmanalpines.com. Archived from the original on 15 February 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f "Alpines I – O". alpineplants.ca. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ a b Austin, Claire (2005). Irises; A Garden Encyclopedia. Timber Press. p. 17. ISBN 978-0881927306.
- ^ "Iridaceae Iris timofejewii Woronow". ipni.org (International Plant Names Index). Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ a b c "Taxon: Iris timofejewii Woronow". npgsweb.ars-grin.gov (Germplasm Resources Information Network). Retrieved 26 February 2016.
- ^ "Iris timofejewii". rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Murtazaliev, R. (2014). "Iris timofejewii". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T200239A2643507.en.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ a b c d e Rodionenko, G. I. "Iris (Iris) Timofeev (Iris timofejewii)" (in Russian). calc.ru. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ a b Nadiradze, Tamar; Eradze, Nino (2014). "In Situ Conservation of Some Rare and Endemic Species of Iridaceae Family in National Botanical Garden of Georgia" (PDF). European Researcher. 77 (6). doi:10.13187/issn.2219-8229. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ "Irises of Russia" (in Russian). flower-iris.ru. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ^ "The exhibition "Iris Russia"" (in Russian). flower-iris.ru. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
- ^ "How to divide iris rhizomes". gardenersworld.com. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
- ^ David G. Spoerke and Susan C. Smolinske Toxicity of House plants, p. 236, at Google Books
Sources
edit- Czerepanov, S. K. Vascular plants of Russia and adjacent states (the former USSR). 1995 (L USSR)
- Mathew, B. The Iris. 1981 (Iris) 37.
External links
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