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FOC | Family List | FOC Vol. 24 | Iridaceae

1. Iris Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 38. 1753.

鸢尾属 yuan wei shu

Iris ruthenica
Image

Credit: Tatyana Shulkina

Pardanthopsis (Hance) Lenz.

Herbs perennial, usually with short or long rhizomes (or bulbs), sometimes with swollen storage roots. Leaves mostly basal, 2-ranked, often oriented edgewise to aerial stem, sword-shaped to linear. Aerial stem developed, much shorter than or longer than leaves. Inflorescence of rhipidia arranged in racemes, panicles, or solitary. Flowers white, yellow, blue, violet, or purple, relatively large, often fragrant. Perianth tube usually trumpet-shaped, sometimes very narrowly so, very short to long; outer 3 perianth segments (falls) ornamented or not, with a crested, bearded, or beardless claw (haft), and an expanded, usually reflexed limb (blade), the beard or crest (when present) extending along midvein of proximal part of limb adaxially; inner 3 perianth segments (standards) smaller, never ornamented, erect or spreading. Stamens opposed to style branches and appressed to them; filaments free, flattened. Style with 3 colored, expanded, petaloid branches, arching over stamens, apex of branches extended as 2 lobes (crests) projecting beyond flaplike, abaxial stigma. Capsule globose, ellipsoid, or cylindric, apex beaked or not. Seeds pyriform, flattened and D-shaped, or irregularly angled, sometimes arillate.

About 225 species: temperate regions of the N hemisphere; 58 species (21 endemic) in China.

The following species were recorded in FRPS as being cultivated for ornament in China. Large species with bearded outer perianth segments: Iris germanica Linnaeus (with spathes at least partly green) and I. pallida Lamarck (with papery spathes). Large species with beardless outer perianth segments: I. sibirica Linnaeus (similar to I. sanguinea but with scarious spathes and longer, unequal pedicels); I. pseudacorus Linnaeus (similar to I. maackii but with leaves with an obvious midvein and larger flowers); and I. versicolor Linnaeus (similar to I. laevigata but with a more branched flowering stem and smaller flowers). White forms can occur in most species and have been treated variously.


1 Roots swollen, fusiform, tuberous; plants densely tufted with small growing point.   (2)
+ Roots not tuberous; plants with rhizomes (sometimes very short).   (4)
       
2 (1) Flowers dark violet, crest of outer perianth segments deeply fimbriate; plants stemless   33 Iris barbatula
+ Flowers pale violet, crest of outer perianth segments not deeply fimbriate; plants with or without stem.   (3)
       
3 (2) Flowering stems sometimes branched, more than 10 cm; perianth tube 2.5--3 cm   31 Iris decora
+ Flowering stems always simple, very short (to 8 cm), or not emerging from ground; perianth tube 3--5 cm   32 Iris collettii
       
4 (1) Flowering stems dichotomously branched; pedicels of fallen flowers persistent, exserted from spathes, stiff; outer perianth segments not crested.   (5)
+ Flowering stems not or not obviously dichotomously branched; if pedicels of fallen flowers persistent and exserted, then outer perianth segments crested.   (6)
       
5 (4) Flowering stems bearing well-developed, falcate leaves; perianth tube extremely short   35 Iris dichotoma
+ Flowering stems bearing reduced leaves, leaves of basal fans erect or slightly incurved; perianth tube ca. 2 cm   36 Iris subdichotoma
       
6 (4) Outer perianth segments with a toothed crest or beard of clavate hairs.   (7)
+ Outer perianth segments without a beard or crest.   (29)
       
7 (6) Outer perianth segments with a crest.   (8)
+ Outer perianth segments with a beard of clavate hairs.   (16)
       
8 (7) Plants with leafy stems; leaves alternate on stem or clustered into a terminal fan.   (9)
+ Plants with leaves in basal fans or tufts.   (11)
       
9 (8) Leaves alternate on stem, not clustered into a terminal fan; flowers pale reddish purple   42 Iris milesii
+ Leaves clustered into a terminal fan; flowers violet, pale blue, or white.   (10)
       
10 (9) Flowers pale blue or white, 4--5.5 cm in diam.   39 Iris confusa
+ Flowers violet, 7.5--8 cm in diam.   40 Iris wattii
       
11 (8) Flowering stems with at least 4 lateral branches.   (12)
+ Flowering stems simple or with 1 or 2 lateral branches.   (13)
       
12 (11) Flowering stems with 5--12 branches; flowers 4.5--5.5 cm in diam.   37 Iris japonica
+ Flowering stems with 4 or 5 branches; flowers 7--8 cm in diam.   38 Iris formosana
       
13 (11) Rhizomes not obvious; roots thick; style branches ca. 1.5 cm wide, terminal lobes incurved toward center of flower   34 Iris latistyla
+ Rhizomes obvious; roots slender; style branches narrower, terminal lobes not incurved toward center of flower.   (14)
       
14 (13) Rhizomes ca. 1 cm in diam.; leaves 1.5--3.5 cm wide; flowers ca. 10 cm in diam.; crest of outer perianth segments white, irregularly toothed   41 Iris tectorum
+ Rhizomes less than 1 cm in diam.; leaves less than 1.5 cm wide; flowers less than 6 cm in diam.; crest of outer perianth segments yellow, low.   (15)
       
15 (14) Leaves 6--12 mm wide; rhizomes not filiform; capsule held at right angle to pedicel   43 Iris speculatrix
+ Leaves 1--7 mm wide; rhizomes filiform; capsule erect   44 Iris proantha
       
16 (7) Plants surrounded by dense, fibrous remains of old leaf bases.   (17)
+ Plants usually without dense, fibrous remains of old leaf bases.   (20)
       
17 (16) Fibers strongly twisted and coiled   52 Iris potaninii
+ Fibers ± straight.   (18)
       
18 (17) Rhizomes swollen, tuberlike; spathes 2-flowered; flowering stems to 35 cm; flowers ca. 6 cm in diam.   51 Iris leptophylla
+ Rhizomes neither swollen nor tuberlike; spathes 1-flowered; plants stemless or with flowering stems to 20 cm; flowers to 5 cm in diam.   (19)
       
19 (18) Flowers yellow   53 Iris psammocola
+ Flowers violet or purple   54 Iris tigridia
       
20 (16) Flowers yellow.   (21)
+ Flowers violet-purple.   (25)
       
21 (20) Flowers ± flat, all parts spreading   49 Iris narcissiflora
+ Flowers not flat, inner perianth segments ± erect.   (22)
       
22 (21) Leaves with swollen basal sheaths   48 Iris curvifolia
+ Leaves without swollen basal sheaths.   (23)
       
23 (22) Rhizomes creeping   45 Iris flavissima
+ Rhizomes compact.   (24)
       
24 (23) Spathes red flushed   46 Iris bloudowii
+ Spathes green   47 Iris mandshurica
       
25 (20) Leaves glaucous, falcate, more than 1 cm wide   50 Iris scariosa
+ Leaves not as above, often poorly developed at anthesis.   (26)
       
26 (25) Flowering stems developed.   (27)
+ Flowering stems not developed.   (28)
       
27 (26) Flowers small, to 3 cm in diam., inner perianth segments spreading   55 Iris goniocarpa
+ Flowers large, 6--7 cm in diam., inner perianth segments erect   56 Iris cuniculiformis
       
28 (26) Flowers pale to mauve-purple, blotched darker, perianth tube 5.5--6 cm, inner segments erect   57 Iris kemaonensis
+ Flowers dark violet, obscurely mottled, perianth tube 4--14 cm, inner segments spreading   58 Iris dolichosiphon
       
29 (6) Flowers subtended by a single bract   13 Iris anguifuga
+ Flowers subtended by 2 or more bracts (spathes).   (30)
       
30 (29) Rhizomes short; plants densely tufted, tufts surrounded by a tough collar of old leaf sheaths.   (31)
+ Rhizomes elongate; stems and leaf bases usually without a tough collar of old leaf sheaths.   (39)
       
31 (30) Spathes ovate, inflated.   (32)
+ Spathes ± lanceolate, not inflated   (33)
       
32 (31) Spathes with transverse veins   23 Iris ventricosa
+ Spathes without transverse veins   22 Iris bungei
       
33 (31) Flowering stems obvious, emerging above ground.   (34)
+ Flowering stems not emerging above ground.   (35)
       
34 (33) Flowers flat, outer and inner perianth segments spreading   24 Iris farreri
+ Flowers funnelform, outer perianth segments ascending   25 Iris songarica
       
35 (33) Flowers yellow with dark violet markings, 3--5 cm in diam.   30 Iris kobayashii
+ Flowers violet or blue.   (36)
       
36 (35) Outer perianth segments very narrow, to 0.8 cm wide.   (37)
+ Outer perianth segments more than 1 cm wide.   (38)
       
37 (36) Flowers to 5 cm in diam. (Qinghai)   27 Iris qinghainica
+ Flowers more than 6 cm in diam. (E China)   29 Iris cathayensis
       
38 (36) Leaves ca. 2 mm wide; perianth tube to 8 cm   26 Iris tenuifolia
+ Leaves ca. 3 mm wide; perianth tube to 14 cm   28 Iris loczyi
       
39 (30) Flowers yellow or whitish.   (40)
+ Flowers purplish, bluish, or violet.   (46)
       
40 (39) Plants small; rhizomes long, slender.   (41)
+ Plants robust; rhizomes stout.   (42)
       
41 (40) Flowers yellow   14 Iris minutoaurea
+ Flowers white, with yellow signal patch on limb of outer perianth segments   15 Iris odaesanensis
       
42 (40) Ovary long and slender, apex beaklike.   (43)
+ Ovary short and thick.   (44)
       
43 (42) Outer perianth segments with expanded limb, abruptly contracted into narrow claw   20 Iris halophila
+ Outer perianth segments oblanceolate, gradually narrowed toward base   21 Iris lactea
       
44 (42) Flowering stems with several branches; leaves usually more than 1 cm wide (NE China)   8 Iris maackii
+ Flowering stems simple; leaves less than 1 cm wide (SW China).   (45)
       
45 (44) Inner perianth segments erect; leaves glossy on 1 surface, dull on other; flanges of claw of outer perianth segments inconspicuous   2 Iris forrestii
+ Inner perianth segments spreading obliquely; leaves dull on both surfaces; flanges of claw of outer perianth segments conspicuous, purple mottled   1 Iris wilsonii
       
46 (39) Plants stemless or with slender flowering stems to 25 cm; flowers to 5.5 cm in diam.   (47)
+ Plants with stout flowering stems usually more than 25 cm; flowers usually more than 5.5 cm in diam.   (50)
       
47 (46) Pedicels slender, 2--4 cm, exserted from spathes; spathes several flowered   17 Iris henryi
+ Pedicels to 1 cm, not exserted from spathes; spathes 1-flowered.   (48)
       
48 (47) Perianth tube 5--7 cm   16 Iris rossii
+ Perianth tube less than 1.5 cm.   (49)
       
49 (48) Spathes green, lanceolate, soft, membranous, apex finely acuminate   18 Iris ruthenica
+ Spathes yellowish green, broadly lanceolate, hard, dry, membranous, apex obtuse or subacute   19 Iris uniflora
       
50 (46) Inner perianth segments much reduced   12 Iris setosa
+ Inner perianth segments conspicuous.   (51)
       
51 (50) Leaves with obvious midvein.   (52)
+ Leaves without obvious midvein.   (53)
       
52 (51) Leaves narrowly linear, ca. 2 mm wide; spathes membranous, parallel veins not obvious   10 Iris typhifolia
+ Leaves linear, 5--12 mm wide; spathes leathery, parallel veins obvious   11 Iris ensata
       
53 (51) Ovary long and slender, apex beaklike; perianth tube less than 1 cm.   (54)
+ Ovary short and wide; perianth tube more than 1 cm.   (55)
       
54 (53) Outer perianth segments with expanded limb, abruptly contracted into narrow claw   20 Iris halophila
+ Outer perianth segments oblanceolate, gradually narrowed toward base   21 Iris lactea
       
55 (53) Flowering stems solid   6 Iris clarkei
+ Flowering stems hollow.   (56)
       
56 (55) Claw of outer perianth segments with reticulate pattern (NE China)   7 Iris sanguinea
+ Claw of outer perianth segments without reticulate pattern (mainly SW China).   (57)
       
57 (56) Flowers more than 9 cm in diam.; spathes short and broad, very unequal, apex acute or obtuse; stigma flap 2-lobed (NE China and cultivated)   9 Iris laevigata
+ Flowers to 9 cm in diam.; spathes long and narrow, subequal, apex very acute; stigma flap triangular (SW China).   (58)
       
58 (57) Plants usually more than 70 cm; flowering stems usually branched   5 Iris delavayi
+ Plants less than 70 cm; flowering stems simple.   (59)
       
59 (58) Flowers dark violet, limb of outer perianth segments with gold markings at base   3 Iris chrysographes
+ Flowers paler, bluish to violet, limb of outer perianth segments with white or yellow-tinged patch at center marked with darker veins   4 Iris bulleyana

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