Iris tigridia is a plant species in the genus Iris; it is also in the subgenus Iris and in the section Pseudoregelia. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia and China. It has dark green or greyish green, grass-like leaves, a short slender stem and a single (or rarely 2) flowers that are either violet, dark blue, blue-purple, dark purple, mauve, lilac, lavender, or light purple. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.

Iris tigridia
From Altai, Russia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Iridaceae
Genus: Iris
Subgenus: Iris subg. Iris
Section: Iris sect. Pseudoregelia
Species:
I. tigridia
Binomial name
Iris tigridia
Synonyms
  • Iris pandurata Maxim.
  • Iris tigridia var. tigridia (Unknown)[1]
  • Iris pygmaea Pallas
  • Iris pumilae affinis Pallas
  • Iris praecox Pallas.[2]

Description

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It has small compact rhizomes.[3][4] Which are brown,[5] yellow or white, fibrous.[6] Underneath the rhizome are numerous fleshy, secondary roots,[3] which are between 3 and 4 mm wide.[6] On top of the rhizome are the dense, brown,[7][8][9] or dark brown,[10] fibrous remains of last seasons leaves.[11][12] It creates small tufted plants.[8][12]

It has dark green[6] or greyish green leaves[4][5][12] that can grow up to between 5 and 30 cm (2 and 12 in) long, and between 1.5 and 6 mm wide.[4][10][13] At the time of flowering, they are 5–13 cm (2–5 in) long,[3] and between 1.5 and 2 mm wide.[6] They then elongate to the final height of up to 30 cm tall.[5][6] They are grass-like, and they can be erect and linear[3][4] or slightly curved.[8][10] They do not have a midvein,[4][6] but have an acuminate apex (pointed) tip.[4][6][8] This form separates them from Iris potaninii.[11] In mild temperate areas, they are evergreen (lasting through the winter).[9]

It has a slender stem,[4][6] that can grow up to between 3 and 15 cm (1 and 6 in) tall.[14][15][16] Sometimes, the stem seems to only just appear above ground.[3][4][6]

The stem has 2[10] yellow-green (scarious) membranous spathes (leaves of the flower bud).[3][4] They are lanceolate and between 3 and 4 cm (1 and 2 in) long,[8] with a pointed tip.[6]

The stems hold 1 (or rarely 2[13]) terminal (top of stem) flowers, blooming between April and May[7][11] (normally in May).[3][4][5]

The flowers are 3.5–5 cm (1–2 in) in diameter,[3][5][6] come in shades of violet,[3][5] dark blue,[5][13][17] blue-purple,[9][10][11] dark purple,[12] mauve,[2][18] lilac,[2][13] lavender,[5][14][17] or light purple.[4] The flowers have darker spots, veining or mottling.[10][12][13]

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'.[19] The falls are obovate, and 3–4 cm (1–2 in) long,[3][4][8] and 1–1.5 cm wide.[3][4][6] In the centre of the petal, it has a white patch[13] and a beard,[7][9][10] with blue-white[3] or white hairs[17] tipped with yellow[2][5][13] or yellow hairs.[4][6] The erect,[3] or tilting outwards,[6] standards are oblanceolate,[4][6] and 2.5–3 cm (1–1 in) long and 0.4–0.7 cm wide.[3][4][6] They are darker shade than the falls.[3]

It has a 5 mm long pedicel,[4][6] and 2 cm long perianth tube,[4][5][11] that widens out at the top.[3][6]

It has 2.3–2.5 cm long styles,[3][4][6] that have triangular crests.[3][6] It has blue pollen,[3] and a long, green ovary, that is up to 1.2 cm long.[3][4][6] It has 1.5 cm long stamens.[4][6]

After the iris has flowered, between June and July,[9] or up to August,[4][6] it produces an ovoid,[4][6] or fusiform (spindle shaped),[9][12] seed capsule. That is between 2.5 and 4 cm (1 and 2 in) long,[3][6][8] and between 1.5 and 2 cm in diameter.[6] It has a beak like top attached to the remains of the perianth tube.[3][4][6] Inside the capsule are roundish[3] or pear shaped (pyriform) seeds.[4][6] They have a creamy[3] or yellowish white aril (appendage).[4][6]

Biochemistry

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In 2003, a study was carried out on the chromosome sequencing of various Irises from the Siberian region of central Asia. They sequenced the rbcL gene from some Siberian iris species belonging to different subgenera, including Iris halophila, Iris ludwigii, Iris uniflora, Iris pseudacorus and Iris laevigata. Their results supported Brian Mathew's classification from 1989 that Iris bloudowii, Iris humilis, Iris ivanovae, Iris tigridia, and Iris glaucescens form a cluster.[20]

In 2011, a chromosome and karyotype analysis study was carried out on the rhizomes of Iris tigridia. It found that the chromosome number of Iris tigridia was 2n=18.[21]

As most irises are diploid, having two sets of chromosomes, this can be used to identify hybrids and classification of groupings.[19] It has been counted several times. Including by Doronkin in 1984.[2] It has been counted as 2n=18,[21] 20,[2][16] 22,[5][14][16] 24,[2][16] 28,[16] 32,[16] 34,[2] 38,[3][16] and 40.[2][16]

Taxonomy

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It is written as 粗根鸢尾 in Chinese script and known as cu gen yuan wei in Pidgin.[4][22]

It is also commonly known as 'thick-root iris' in China.[22] or 'coarse roots iris'.[6] In Russia, it is commonly known as 'tiger Iris'.[6][23][24]

It is known as 'Bartsooxor tsaxildag' in Mongolian.[25]

The Latin specific epithet tigridia refers to 'tigris' or tiger-like. This refers to the colour marking of the perianth,[26][27] or the rather motley coloured flower of the iris.[10]

It was first published and described (written in Latin) by Carl Friedrich von Ledebour and Alexander Andrejewitsch von Bunge in 'Flora Altaica' Vol.1 on page 60 in 1829.[28][29][30]

It was then published by Ledebour in 'Icones Plantarum novarum vel imperfecte cognitarum Floram rossicam' (Icon. Pl. Fl. Ross.) tab. 342. in 1830 (or 1833,[6]) with a colour illustration,[2] then by Karl Maximovich in the 'Bulletin of the Academy of Sciences St Petersburg' (Bull. Acad. Sci. St. Petersb.) Vol.26 on page530 in 1880 and by C.H. Wright in the 'Journal of the Linnean Society, Botany' (Journ. Linn. Soc. Bot.) Vol.36 on page 85 in 1903.

It was once placed with Iris potaninii and Iris pumila in the Pogoniris group,[11] before being re-classified as in the Pseudoregelia section.

It was verified by United States Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service on 19 May 1999, then updated on 1 December 2004.[22]

It is listed in the Encyclopedia of Life.[31]

Iris tigridia is an accepted name by the RHS, it was last listed in the RHS Plant Finder in 2014.[32]

Distribution and habitat

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It is native to temperate Asia.[17][22][31]

It is endemic to the north-east Asia,[12] from the Altai mountain range and Siberia to Manchuria in China.[11][15][30]

Range

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It is found in Russia,[6][14][16] within the Russian states of Aga-Buryat, Buryatia,[9] Chita,[9] Chukchi, Gorno-Altay, Irkutsk, Magadan, Tuva,[7][9][12] and Yakutia (Sakha).[22] Including the Altai Mountains,[7][29][33] Altai Republic,[7][12] and Trans-Baikal region (Khentei-Daur Highlands).[9]

Within middle Asia, it is found in Mongolia,[6][18][34](in the territories of Khubsugul, Khentei, Khangai, Mongol-Daurian and Middle Khalkha,[8]) and in Kazakhstan.[4][5][22]

It is also found in China,[9][14][16] within the provinces of Gansu, Heilongjiang,[6] Jilin,[6] Liaoning,[6] Nei Monggol,[6] Qinghai, Shanxi,[6] and Sichuan.[5][22][31]

It is listed with Iris bloudowii, Iris glaucescens, Iris ruthenica, Iris sibirica, Iris tenuifolia and Iris psammocola (another Pseudoregelia Iris) as being found in the Altai-Sayan region (where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan come together).[35]

Habitat

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It grows in (rocky or gravelly) screes,[7][9][36] on the dry hillsides (or slopes),[7][8][12] in dunes,[31] in sandy meadows or grasslands,[6][10][31] in steppes,[8][9][36] and beside forest margins.[4][5]

They can be found at an altitude of 0–2,000 m (0–6,562 ft) above sea level.[9][12]

Conservation

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It is listed as 'rare' in Russia.[37] It is also rare in Mongolia.[8]

It is listed in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation,[12][23] the Data Book of the Altai Republic[23] (or Territory),[7][12] of USSR,[12][23] of the Tuva Republic,[12][23] and the Republic of Khakassia,[12][23] and of Kazakhstan.[24]

It is found in Dauria and Sokhondinsky State Biosphere Reserve (in Chita).[23]

Cultivation

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It is hardy to Zone H3 in Europe,[13] meaning that it is hardy to −10 to −15 °C (14 to 5 °F).[38] In non-hardy areas, it can be grown in an alpine house or bulb frame[15] due to the fact that the plant needs to be protected from winter moisture.[9]

It has been tested for hardiness in Russia, in the botanical gardens of Barnaul (the South-Siberian Botanical Garden), Novosibirsk (Central Siberian Botanical Garden), Chita (Trans-Baikal Botanical Garden) and Saint Petersburg Botanical Garden. Only in St. Petersburg, it was found to be not hardy.[9]

It can be grown in well-drained soils, in a sunny position.[9][15]

It can be grown in a rock garden.[9][11]

It is thought best planted between August and September.[11]

Propagation

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It can be propagated by division or by seed growing. It can only be divided, when the plant makes new side-shoots.[7]

Hybrids and cultivars

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Several cultivars have been introduced including;

  • 'Violet Peafowl' (purple)
  • 'Starry Diamond' (violet blue)
  • 'Rainbow in May' (purple-pink)
  • 'Bright Vitas' (blue).

All four cultivars are between 12 cm and 14 cm tall, flower between April and May, are hardy, drought tolerant and salt tolerant.[39][40]

  • 'Medianite' (a lilac and pink form, but lost in cultivation)[2]

Iris tigridia var. fortis (Y. T. Zhao) is listed as a variant from (Jilin, Inner Mongolia and Shanxi) in China. It grows 10–20 cm (4–8 in) tall, with violet flowers.[14][16]

Toxicity

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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.[41]

Uses

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It is used in gardens, also in herbal medicines,[8] and as a fodder plant for farm animals.[8][25]

It has been eaten by cattle and horses, at most times of the year. It is also consumed by goats but it is thought to be an undesirable food source.[25]

References

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  1. ^ "Iris tigridia Bunge ex Ledeb. is an accepted name". theplantlist.org (The Plant List). 23 March 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Franco, Alain (29 November 2013). "(SPEC) Iris tigridia Bunge". wiki.irises.org (American Iris Society). Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  3. ^ 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 British Iris Society (1997) A Guide to Species Irises: Their Identification and Cultivation, p. 107, at Google Books
  4. ^ 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 "FOC Vol. 24 Page 311". efloras.org (Flora of China). Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Chapter I (Part 7) Pseudoregelia". irisbotanique.com. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  6. ^ 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 ag ah ai aj ak al am an "Coarse roots Iris Iris tigridia Bunge ex Ledeb". plants.csdb.cn. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Silanteva, M.M. "IRIS TIGRIDIA BUNGE – IRIS (Iris) tiger". lesnoj-atlas.com. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Iridaceae Juss. Iris tigridia Bunge". icc.mn. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Tiger Iris – Iris tigridia Bunge". flower.onego.ru. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i Damn, I.A. "Plants, Rdb Altai Territory". e-lib.gasu.ru (Gorno-Altaisk State University). Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i Dykes, William (2009). "Handbook of Garden Irises" (PDF). beardlessiris.org (The Group for Beardless Irises). Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Doronkin, V.M.; Mans, A.G. "Iris (Iris) tiger – Iris tigridia Bunge". g-abs.ru. Retrieved 19 August 2015.[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey (Editors) The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification (2011) , p. 251, at Google Books
  14. ^ a b c d e f Kramb, D. (10 October 2004). "Iris tigridia". signa.org (Species Iris Group of North America). Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  15. ^ a b c d Cassidy, George E.; Linnegar, Sidney (1987). Growing Irises (Revised ed.). Bromley: Christopher Helm. p. 126. ISBN 0-88192-089-4.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Iris summary" (PDF). pacificbulbsociety.org. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  17. ^ a b c d "Aril irises S-Z". pacificbulbsociety.org. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  18. ^ a b Stebbings, Geoff (1997). The Gardener's Guide to Growing Irises. Newton Abbot: David and Charles. p. 16. ISBN 0715305395.
  19. ^ a b Austin, Claire (2005). Irises; A Garden Encyclopedia. Timber Press. ISBN 0881927309.
  20. ^ Makarevitch, Irina; Golovnina, Kseniya; Scherbik, Svetlana; Blinov, Alexander (2003). "Phylogenetic Relationships Of The Siberian Iris Species Inferred From Noncoding Chloroplast Dna Sequences". Int. J. Plant Sci. 164 (2). The University of Chicago: 229–237. doi:10.1086/346160. S2CID 83916772. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  21. ^ a b Xiaoying, Bi; Zhiwei, Zhao; Yang, Zheng; Dongsheng, Li (2011). "Staining and Slide-preparing Technique of Chromosome and Karyotype Analysis of Iris tigridia" (PDF). Chinese Agricultural Science Bulletin. 27 (13): 157–160. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g "Iris tigridia". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g "Iris tigridia Bunge". oopt.aari.ru. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  24. ^ a b "Red Book (Flora) 2". innature.kz. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  25. ^ a b c "Palatability Of Mongolian Rangeland Plants, Circular of Information No. 3". Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center. December 2005. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  26. ^ D. Gledhill The Names of Plants, p. 390, at Google Books
  27. ^ Smith, A.W.; Stearn, William T. (1972). A Gardener's Dictionary of Plant Names (Revised ed.). Cassell and Company (published 1963). p. 314. ISBN 0304937215.
  28. ^ Carl Friedrich von Ledebour, Karl Anton Meyer and Alexander von Bunge Flora Altaica: Classis 1 – 5, Volume 1 (1829) , p. 60, at Google Books
  29. ^ a b "Iridaceae Iris tigridia Bunge". ipni.org (International Plant Names Index). Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  30. ^ a b "Iris tigridia Bunge ex Ledeb., Fl. Altaic. 1: 60 (1829)". apps.kew.org. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  31. ^ a b c d e "Iris cuniculiformis". eol.org. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  32. ^ "Iris tigridia". www.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  33. ^ M.S. Mani Ecology and Biogeography of High Altitude Insects, p. 358, at Google Books
  34. ^ P.D. Gunin, Elizabeth A. Vostokova, Nadezhda I. Dorofeyuk, Pavel E. Tarasov, Clanton C. Black (Editors) Vegetation Dynamics of Mongolia, p. 185, at Google Books
  35. ^ "Biodiversity of Altai-Sayan Ecoregion". bioaltai-sayan.ru. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  36. ^ a b "Scientific name:Iris tigridia Bunge". greif.uni-greifswald.de. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  37. ^ "The exhibition "Iris Russia"". flower-iris.ru. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  38. ^ "Plant Hardiness". theseedsite.co. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  39. ^ Luo, Gang-Jun; Bi, Xiao-Ying; Meng, Tong-Fei; Zheng, Yang; Xu, Wen-Ji; Lei, Jia-Jun (2014). "New Iris tigridia Cultivars 'Violet Peafowl', 'Starry Diamond','Rainbow in May' and 'Bright Vitas'". Acta Horticulturae Sinica. 41 (10): 2163–2164. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  40. ^ Murrain, Jim (12 August 2013). "Perks of the "job"". theamericanirissociety.blogspot.co.uk. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  41. ^ David G Spoerke and Susan C. SmolinskeToxicity of Houseplants, p. 236, at Google Books

Other sources

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  • Fedtsch, B. 1935 Kom Fl URSS 4, 549.
  • Czerepanov, S. K. 1995. Vascular plants of Russia and adjacent states (the former USSR).
  • Fu, Y. C. et al. 1977–. Flora intramongolica.
  • Lineam, Kitagawa 1939 Fl Mansh 149.
  • Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934–1964. Flora SSSR.
  • Mathew, B. 1981. The Iris. 68.
  • Waddick, J. W. & Zhao Yu-tang. 1992. Iris of China.
  • Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994–. Flora of China (English edition).
  • Liu Ying, Liu 1936 Chinese Journal of Botany Vol.3 Issue 2 page 947
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