Iris giganticaerulea |
Iris orientalis |
|
---|---|---|
giant blue iris |
yellowband iris |
|
Rhizomes | green, extensively branched, forming large clumps, 2–4 cm diam., with pale leaf scars. |
sparingly short-branched, forming dense clumps, 1–1.5 cm diam., hard, with old leaf bases at nodes; roots fleshy. |
Stems | 2–3-branched, solid, 10–15(–20+) dm. |
slightly flattened, with 1–2 short branches, solid, 4–12 dm. |
Leaves | basal 4–6, erect, blade bright green, ensiform, 10–13 dm × 2–3 cm, apex slightly curved; cauline with blade foliaceous, appearing as elongated spathe, 5–6.5 dm × 2–3 cm, not exceeding flowers. |
basal erect, blade with slight spiral twist and central ridge, 3.5–8 dm × 1–2 cm, stiff, harsh, fibrous, glaucous; cauline 2–3, 1–2 subtending floral clusters, blade reduced. |
Inflorescence units | 2–3-flowered, branch units 1–2-flowered; spathes tightly enclosing ovary and pedicel, 15–20 cm, subequal; outer narrowly lanceolate, keeled, margins pale, narrow, inner margins translucent, broad, scarious. |
clustered, 2–4-flowered; spathes white, 3–5 cm, subequal, papery. |
Flowers | perianth blue or blue-purple; floral tube tubular-prismatic, 9-ribbed and -grooved, 4–5 cm; sepals blue or blue-purple with white streaks surrounding signal, oval to orbicular-oval, 9.5–11 × 4–5 cm, base abruptly attenuate into claw, apex obtusely angled, signal with raised, yellow, pubescent central ridge, claw green, striate, 4–4.5 × 1–1.2 cm; petals erect or spreading-erect, spatulate, 7–8.5 × 2–3 cm, base cuneate, apex emarginate; ovary bluntly 6-angled, 4–4.5 cm; style blue-violet, keeled, 3.5–4 cm, raised above sepals, crests recurved, 1.5–2 cm, margins sharply and irregularly serrate; stigmas 2-lobed with 2 triangular teeth; pedicel columnar, 3.5–5 cm. |
perianth white; floral tube funnelform, 1–2.5 cm; sepals spreading and arching downward, with large yellow basal area, broadly orbicular, 8–10 × 3–6 cm, apex rounded, deeply emarginate; petals white, spatulate, 4–6 × 1–1.5 cm, base gradually attenuate, apex emarginate; ovary triangular in cross section with 2 ribs at each angle, 2–2.5 cm; style white, with parallel sides, 4–5 cm, crests erect, triangular, 1–2 cm; stigmas 2-lobed; pedicel 2.5–7.5 cm. |
Capsules | drooping, bright green, ellipsoid, hexagonal in cross section, with 6 broad, rounded lobes, 8–10 × 3 cm, indehiscent; after anthesis, flower stem elongates, arching downward to push capsule into water, where walls are broken down and as funiculus is broken, seed rises to surface. |
ovoid to oblong-elliptic, triangular in cross section, each angle 2-ribbed, 4–5 × 2–2.5 cm. |
Seeds | in 2 rows per locule, brown, D-shaped, 8–10 mm wide, very corky. |
in 2 rows per locule, white, flattened or wedge-shaped, 4–5 mm, papery, wrinkled. |
2n | = 44. |
= 40. |
Iris giganticaerulea |
Iris orientalis |
|
Phenology | Flowering Mar–Apr. | Flowering May–Jul. |
Habitat | Shallow water or very wet roadside ditches | Persisting after cultivation or discarded along roadsides |
Distribution |
AL; LA; MS
|
CA; CT; MO; expected elsewhere; Greece; Turkey [Introduced in North America] |
Source | FNA vol. 26. | FNA vol. 26, p. 394. |
Parent taxa | Iridaceae > Iris > subg. Limniris > sect. Limniris > ser. Hexagonae | Iridaceae > Iris > subg. Limniris > sect. Limniris > ser. Spuriae |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | I. elephantina, I. hexagona var. giganticaerulea, I. miraculosa | |
Name authority | Small: Addisonia 14: 5, plate 451. (1929) | Miller: Gard. Dict. ed. 8, Iris no. 9. (1768) |
Web links |