Iris

Касатик

Iris Credit: Tatyana Shulkina

About 200-250 species in the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. In the FSU about 60-70 species, depending on classification. They occur in various regions but mainly in the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Altay, also in the Transbaikal area and the Far East. Some of the Russian species are well-known garden plants, some have been involved in hybridization. The native irises are of great interest today. Plants increase the number of their flowers under cultivation.

There are some species belonging to subsection Oncocyclus (Siemss.) Benth. which are extremely attractive, however, very difficult in cultivation. They did not grow in St. Petersburg because of its climate (excess moisture in summer, too cold in winter). Many of them occur in the Caucasus and also in Central Asia.

• I. acutiloba C.A Mey.
• I. camillae Grossh.
• I. ewbankiana Foster
• I. grossheimii Woronow ex Grossh.
• I. helena C. Koch (C. Koch)
• I. iberica Hoffm.
• I. lycotis Woronow
• I. paradoxa Steven
• I. schelkownikowii (Fomin) Fomin

These species produce many hybrids in the wild. They are especially abundant in two regions of the Transcaucasus: Nakhishevan and Shekinskoe nagorie.