Iris uniflora
{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Iris uniflora 111948663.jpg
| genus = Iris
| display_parents = 3
| parent = Iris ser. Ruthenicae
| species = uniflora
| authority = Pall. ex Link
| synonyms = {{Species list|Iris ruthenica var. uniflora|(Pall. ex Link) Baker|Iris uniflora f. caricina|(Kitag.) P.Y.Fu & Y.A.Chen|Iris uniflora var. caricina|Kitag.|Iris uniflora var. uniflora|(unknown)|Limniris uniflora|(Pall. ex Link) Rodion.}}
}}
Iris uniflora is a species in the genus Iris and in the subgenus Limniris. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from Russia, Mongolia, China and Korea. It has thin grass-like leaves and stems, and purple, blue-purple or violet flowers. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.
Description
Iris uniflora differs from Iris ruthenica by having thick resilient bracts (leaf on flower stem, where a flower emerges) that remain green (or yellow-green),{{cite web| title=The Planzengattung Iris | url=http://www.orchideenkultur.net/index.php?topic=28569.30 | publisher= orchideenkultur.net | access-date=7 November 2014}}{{Unreliable source?|date=February 2024}} until the seeds mature.{{Cite web | first=Ken | last=Walker | date=3 June 2007 | title=Iris uniflora | url=http://www.signa.org/index.pl?Iris-uniflora | publisher=signa.org (Species Iris Group of North America) | access-date=6 November 2014}}{{Unreliable source?|date=February 2024}} On Iris ruthenica, the bracts usually dry out and die, after flowering.{{Unreliable source?|date=February 2024}}
It has a thin creeping rhizome that is brown and branched. The rhizome is covered with the remains of last years leaves. It also has fibrous roots.
It has slender flowering stems that grow up to 15 cm long. They are occasionally branched.
It has thin grass-like leaves (linear and lanceolate). The 2–3 leaves are green and grow up from the base of the plant, measuring 10–40 cm long, 5–10{{nbsp}}mm wide. The leaves later grow longer than the flowers stems after the blooming period.
It blooms between May and June. It normally has one flower but occasionally has two flowers, which have a violet-like fragrance. It has perianth tube (that measures about) 1.5 cm.
The flowers come in shades of purple, from blue-purple to violet. They are 4–4.5 cm in diameter. They have a white veined or striped signal (at the base of the fall of the flower).
It has 1.5 cm long stamens and 5 mm long ovary.
Between July and August, it fruits (after the blooming period is over).
It has oval/globose seed capsules (measuring 8–10 mm in diameter). Which differ from other irises by being un-ribbed.
Inside the capsule are round, black seeds that have a small fleshy appendage.
=Biochemistry=
As most irises are diploid, having two sets of chromosomes. This can be used to identify hybrids and classification of groupings.{{cite book | first= Claire | last=Austin | title= Irises: A Gardener's Encyclopedia | publisher= Timber Press, Incorporated | isbn = 978-0881927306 | year = 2005 | ol = OL8176432M | page=}} It has been examined several times to find its chromosome count: 2n=48, Scolovskaya; 2n=42, Doronkin 1984; 2n=16, Sok & Prob. 1986; 2n=42, Zakharjeva, 1990.
In 1986, a study was carried out on 3 iris species in China, the chromosomes of Iris mandshurica, Iris uniflora and Iris bloudowii were counted. It was counted as 2n = 40.{{cite journal |last= Yutang |first=Zhao |last2=Jingmei |first2= Lu |date=February 1986 |title=Karyotype Studies Of 3 Species Of Genus Iris In China |url=http://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTOTAL-DBSZ198602008.htm |journal=Journal of Northeast Normal University |access-date=5 May 2015}}
Taxonomy
File:Iris uniflora Pall. ex Link(MNHN P02155205).jpg, Paris]]
It is written as 单花鸢尾 in Chinese script and 'dan hua yuan wei' in China.{{cite web | title=FOC Vol. 24 Page 303 | url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200028224 | publisher= efloras.org | access-date=6 November 2014}}{{GRIN | accessdate=5 May 2015}}
It has the common name of 'rock kris' in Tibet and the Tibetan name of 'Yuki Ozawa'.{{cite web | title=Tibetan medicine Iris uniflora pall antioxidant extract and preparation method and application thereof | date=18 December 2013 | url=https://patents.google.com/patent/CN103446358A/en | access-date=6 November 2014}}
It is also known as 'single-flowered iris' in Russia.{{cite web | title=Iris ruthenia | url=http://flower.onego.ru/other/iris/iris_rut.html | publisher= flower.onego.ru | access-date=6 November 2014}}{{cite web| title=The exhibition "Iris Russia" | url=http://flower-iris.ru/en/knigi-pro-iridariy/zaglyanut-v-knigu/66/ | publisher=flower-iris.ru | access-date=8 November 2014}}
It was first widely published by Peter Simon Pallas in 'Jahrbücher der Gewächskunde' (published in Berlin and Leipzig) in 1820.{{cite web | title=Iridaceae Iris uniflora Pall. ex Link | url=http://www.ipni.org/ipni/idPlantNameSearch.do?id=439219-1 | publisher=ipni.org (International Plant Names Index) | access-date= 6 November 2014}} It was first found and named by Link, but he did not publish it widely.
It was illustrated later in The Garden magazine page 187 on 5 September 1896.Richard Lynch {{Google books|The Book of the Iris| grvYTul5CSUC|page=64}}
In 1892, it was thought to be a variety of Iris ruthenica (Iris ruthenica var. uniflora) by Baker (in his book, Handbook Irid. 4. 1892). which he noted was "a form with narrow leaves (2—6 mm wide at anthesis, ca. 10 mm wide in fruit".{{cite web|first=V.L. | last=Komarov | year=1935 | title=Akademiya Nauk SSSR (FLORA of the U.S.S.R.) Vol. IV | url=https://archive.org/stream/floraofussr04bota/floraofussr04bota_djvu.txt | access-date=9 October 2014}}
It was described as Iris uniflora var. caricina by Kitagawa in the Botanical Magazine (of Tokyo) in 1935, which is still considered a variant by the American Iris Society.{{cite web| title=(SPEC) Iris uniflora Pallas | date=30 November 2013 | url=http://wiki.irises.org/bin/view/Spec/SpecUniflora | first=Alain | last=Franco | publisher=wiki.irises.org (American Iris Society) | access-date=6 November 2014}} In 1981, Brian Mathew notes in his book The Iris that "The Flora of the USSR separates this as a distinct species, distinguished from Iris ruthenica".
Iris uniflora is a tentatively accepted name by the RHS.{{cite web|title=Iris uniflora |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/9393/Iris-uniflora/Details | publisher=rhs.org.uk | access-date=6 November 2014}}
Distribution and habitat
=Range=
It is found in Central Asia (including Transylvania), Russia (including the states of Siberia, Primorye and Transbaikalia) Mongolia,{{cite web | title=Iris uniflora Pall. ex Link | url=http://greif.uni-greifswald.de/floragreif/?flora_search=taxon&taxon_id=2069 | publisher=greif.uni-greifswald.de | access-date=8 November 2014}} Tibet, Korea and China (including Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Manchuria and Qinghai ).
=Habitat=
Conservation
It was rare in Russia and mentioned in an early version of the Russian Red Book of Endangered Species. Currently not in the 2013 list. One population of iris uniflora is now under the protection of Lazo Nature Reserve.
Cultivation
It grows well in garden borders, but it only flowers in dry and sunny positions.
Stable in culture, winters without shelter. Can be used for rocky hills, curb and group plantings in the southern forest-steppe and steppe regions. Differ by more than I. ruthenica, confinement to dry soils. Tested: Moscow, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok.
It is a specimen found in 7 Botanic Garden collections around the world.{{cite web| title=BGCI > PlantSearch |
url=http://www.bgci.org/plant_search.php?action=Find&lang=eng&ftrGenus=Iris&ftrRedList=&ftrSpecies=uniflora&ftrRedList1997=&ftrEpithet=&ftrCWR=&x=40&y=6 | publisher= bgci.org (Botanic Gardens Conservation International) | access-date=8 November 2014}}
In east Siberia, Aphis neonewtoni (Pashtshenko) is found on the upper sides of the leaves of Iris uniflora.R. L. Blackman, Victor F. Eastop{{Google books|UZqkLr9m4GUC| Aphids on the World's Herbaceous Plants and Shrubs|page=1077}}
Uses
It is used within Tibetan herbal medicines, the seeds are an ingredient in a remedy used to treat de-toxification and as an insecticide. The flowers are used to treat eyesight problems and the root is used to cure freckles and ringworm.
Variants
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/en/view/bsb10303395?page=490,491 Protolog]
- {{Wikispecies-inline|Iris uniflora}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q10906405}}
Category:Garden plants of Asia