Iris confusa
Iris confusa | |
---|---|
An Iris confusa flower | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Order: | Asparagales |
Family: | Iridaceae |
Genus: | Iris |
Subgenus: | Iris subg. Limniris |
Section: | Iris sect. Lophiris |
Species: | I. confusa
|
Binomial name | |
Iris confusa | |
Synonyms[1] | |
None known |
Iris confusa (
Description
Iris confusa is similar in form to Iris japonica and Iris wattii. Iris confusa is larger than Iris japonica in all parts,[3] with more attractive foliage.[4] Compared to Iris wattii, it is smaller and has smaller flowers.[5][6]
I. confusa has stout, creeping rhizomes.
This plant has 10 or more leaves that are grouped together as a fan-shape.[9][15][16]
Unlike, most irises, the foliage is held at the top of the bamboo-like stems, rather than basally,
It has flattened,[8] (bamboo) cane-like stems,[20] that can grow up to between 25–120 cm (10–47 in) tall.[16][21][22] It has 5–8 slender flower branches (or pedicels) near top of the plant.[7][11][13] The stiff pedicels are 1.5–2 cm long.[7] The stems can lie along the ground (after flowering) and can eventually produce roots, creating larger clumps of this plant.[12][18]
There are 4–6
The stems hold between 3 and 5 flowers,[7][10] in spring and early summer,[11][12][13] between April and May.[5][7][18] In the UK, it can flower in early spring, if the plant is protected from freezing.[17] The flowers are short lived, but since one large plant can have as many as 75 flowers,[14] a continuous display can last for several weeks.[12][17]
The flowers are 4–5.5 cm (2–2 in) in diameter,[6][7][10] and come in shades of soft lavender,[6][9][14] to pale blue, to white.[4][20][23]
I. confusa has 2 sets of
It has pale blue
The perianth tube is 1.5 cm long, enclosing 1.5 cm stamens, a 6mm ovary and yellow anthers.[7] The plant produces an ellipsoid seed capsule,[7][8][12] between May and July,[7] 2.5–3.5 cm (1–1 in) cm long and 1–1.4 cm wide, with 6 visible ribs.[7] Inside the ripened capsule are D-shaped,[12] dark brown seeds.[7][8]
Genetics
I. confusa is
In 2009, a study was carried out on ten Iris species from China, including Iris confusa, Iris japonica and Iris wattii. It was found that Iris japonica and Iris wattii were more closely related to each other than to Iris confusa.[26]
Taxonomy
It has the common name of 'bamboo iris'.[14][23][27][28]
It is written as 扁竹兰 in Chinese script,[7] and known as bian zhu lan in Pidgin in China.[7] Bian zhu lan is translated into English as 'flat bamboo-orchid'.[29]
The Latin specific epithet confusa refers to confusus from – uncertain, easily mistake and mingle.[30][31]
In 1911, William Rickatson Dykes obtained seeds from Pere Ducloux, a French missionary (1864–1945),[32] who had found specimens of the iris in Yunnan.[12][33] Dykes later compared the plants he grew in 1915 with specimens in the Kew Gardens Herbarium. Dykes thought they were similar to Iris wattii, and so were a form of Iris wattii.[5][12][33]
Between 1924 and 1926, Otto Stapf of Kew re-examined the specimens and concluded that they were more similar to Iris japonica. He died in 1933, without publishing his findings.[12][33]
In 1931,
It was first published and described by Joseph Robert Sealy in The Gardeners' Chronicle in 1937.[7][33][34]
It was verified by United States Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service on 4 April 2003 and then updated on 2 December 2004.[29]
Iris confusa is an accepted name by the RHS.[27]
Distribution and habitat
It is
Range
It is found in China,[3][18][21] within the Chinese provinces, of Guangxi,[7][10][29] Guizhou,[7][29] Sichuan,[16][29][34] and Yunnan.[5][16][29]
Habitat
It grows beside forests (and woods),[8][10][19] in open groves,[8] on hillside grasslands (and meadows),[8][10][19] and in ditches.[7][8] It can also be found growing on in the midst of rocks and scrub on sharp or steep slopes.[5][16]
They can be found at an altitude of 1,600–2,400 metres (5,200–7,900 ft) above sea level.[7]
Cultivation
It is
It can be grown in well-drained,[12] light rich (containing humus) soils.[10] It can tolerate neutral or acidic soils (pH levels between 6.5–7.8).[14][2][22] It slightly prefers acidic soils (including peat banks).[4][17]
It can tolerate positions between full sun and partial shade.[14][17][23]
It prefers sites out of strong winds due to the height of the plant and delicate flowers.[17]
It has average water needs during the growing season,[10][14][2] but wet or damp conditions during the winter may cause the root to rot.[10]
It can be grown in a mixed flower border.[14][22] Due to its shallow roots, the iris prefers a mulch of peat, well-decayed leaf mould or similar.[12] The mulch also helps with the frost protection as well.
It can be also grown in containers, in sheltered positions.[15][17] Such as a 30–35 cm wide pot, which is well drained and filled with ericaceous soils.[4][12]
It can be affected by
In cultivation, the stems and dead leaves are removed after flowering to keep the plant tidy and help it for next year's growth.[12][17][35] Then the stems are removed to ground level.[12]
It is found in specialised iris nurseries,[6] and plants can be seen growing within the temperate house at Kew.[18]
Propagation
It can also be propagated by division or by seed growing.[2][36]
The division of the rhizomes should done after flowering,[12] between September and November.[10]
It also can be propagated by stem cuttings. If the cuttings are immersed in water for between 1–2 weeks, the roots will soon emerge and the new plant can be potted and prepared for the garden later.[12][15] Better results are gained if the water contains lumps of charcoal.[15]
To propagate from seed, collect seed from the capsules, when ripe and sow the seeds in vented containers, within a cold frame or in unheated greenhouse.[2]
Hybrids and cultivars
It has several named cultivars, including:[33]
- 'Beccles'[33]
- 'Chengdu' (height 102 cm, glossy rich green leaves,[37] bluish-lavender petals, with darker purple markings surrounding yellow and white blotches on the crests, in spring,[37] has a slight vanilla aroma)[14][37]
- 'F1 Hybrid'[33]
- 'Martyn Rix' (height 85 cm, has blue orchid-like flowers between May and July, shade tolerant)[18][19][38]
- 'Nobody's Child'[33]
- 'Nova' (height 60 cm, has pale blue and white flowers between May and June)[39]
- 'Wattii' (Dykes')[33]
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 in susceptible individuals.[2]
Uses
I. confusa is used within Yunnan as an ingredient in Chinese herbal medicines.[10][20]
Within the province of Guangxi, the
References
- ^ "Iris confusa Sealy is an accepted name". theplantlist.org (The Plant List). 23 March 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "PlantFiles: Bamboo Iris". davesgarden.com. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ^ a b c "Crested Irises". pacificbulbsociety.org. 22 July 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Pavord, Anna (1 June 1996). "How to win over your iris With sunshine and good drainage, you can grow bearded iris in the most unpromising of soils". The Independent. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f "Evansia Or Crested Irises". herbs2000.com. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Zera, Sean (8 December 2013). "Iris confusa". signa.org (Species Iris Group of North America). Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af "FOC Vol. 24 Page 308". efloras.org (Flora of China). Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Eisenberg, Amy; Amato, John; (no surname), Dengtao. "Kam Guilzhouh nyim Guangxxih di Benxtux Wenchual nyim Zihyuanc dih Gonxliix (Kam Local Indigenous Knowledge and Sustainable Resource Management in Guizhou and Guangxi Provinces)" (PDF). Ethnobotany Journal. 7. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ a b c d Simon Rickard The New Ornamental Garden, p. 164, at Google Books
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Chapter II iris clump and other (part3)". irisbotanique.over-blog.com. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- ^ a b c d e James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey (Editors) The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification (2011) , p. 258, at Google Books
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t British Iris Society (1997) A Guide to Species Irises: Their Identification and Cultivation, p. 110, at Google Books
- ^ a b c d e Jenny Hendy and Annelise Evans (Editors)RHS What Plant Where Encyclopedia, p. 316, at Google Books
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Nickel, Erle (22 March 2013). "Bamboo iris lights up garden". sfgate.com. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ^ ISBN 0-88192-089-4.
- ^ ISBN 9780330327749.
- ^ ISBN 0715305395.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Growing Iris Confusa". gardenerstips.co.uk. 27 May 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ^ OL 8176432M.
- ^ a b c Holly Kerr Forsyth (Editor) The Constant Gardener, p. 111, at Google Books
- ^ a b "Iris summary" (PDF). pacificbulbsociety.org. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Iris confusa". senteursduquercy.com. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ^ a b c John Greenlee The American Meadow Garden: Creating a Natural Alternative to the traditional lawn, p. 116, at Google Books
- ^ Huanling, Shu; Yen, Chi; Junlinag, Yang (April 1992). "CYTOLOGICAL STUDY ON IRIS CONFUSA SEALY". Journal of Sichuan Agricultural University. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ^ Yonghong, Zhou; Bihua, Wu; Ji, Yan; Ruiwu, Yang; Chunbang, Ding; Li, Zhang (2003). "Cytogenetic study on the interspecific hybrid between Iris japonica and Iris confusa (Irisaceae)". Acta Botanica Yunnanica. 25 (4): 497–502. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- S2CID 83329044. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ^ a b "Iris confusa". www.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ^ Madeit, Anna (10 May 2013). "Iris confusa a.k.a. Bamboo Iris – one of my absolute Top Ten garden picks for spring!". thecreativeflux.wordpress.com. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Iris confusa". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ^ Sue Gordon (Editor) Horticulture – Plant Names Explained: Botanical Terms and Their Meaning, p. 58, at Google Books
- ISBN 0304937215.
- ^ "Ducloux, Père Francois". kiki.huh.harvard.edu. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Franco, Alain (16 March 2015). "(SPEC) Iris confusa Sealy". wiki.irises.org (American Iris Society). Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ^ a b "Iridaceae Iris confusa Sealy". ipni.org (International Plant Names Index). Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ^ "Plant Collections: SOUTHERN CHINA COLLECTION". rbg.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original on 23 April 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ Bihua, Wu; Ji, Yan; Yonghong, Zhou; Wenxia, Zuo (1998). "Inhibitory affects[sic] of seed coat on seed germination in Iris confusa and its hybrid". Journal of Sichuan Agricultural University. 16 (3). Triticeae Research Institute: 337–340. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ^ a b c "Iris evansia Crested Iris Chengdu". historiciris.blogspot.co.uk. April 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ^ "Iris confusa Martyn Rix". cgf.net. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ^ "Iris confusa Nova". cgf.net. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ^ "Iris confusa seuluy health-care tea". Retrieved 27 March 2015.
Other sources
- Mathew, B. 1981. The Iris. 69-71–78.
- Waddick, J. W. & Zhao Yu-tang. 1992. Iris of China.