Iris uniflora

Iris uniflora is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus of 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)^[2] until the seeds mature.^[3][4][5] On Iris ruthenica, the bracts usually dry out and die, after flowering.^[2]

It has a thin creeping rhizome that is brown and branched.^[6][7] The rhizome is covered with the remains of last years leaves.^[3][2] It also has fibrous roots.^[6]

It has slender flowering stems that grow up to 15cm long.^[6][3][7][2] They are occasionally branched.^[7]

It has thin grass-like leaves (linear and lanceolate).^[2][5] The 2-3 leaves are green and grow up from the base of the plant, measuring 10-40cm long, 5-10mm wide.^[6][3][7] The leaves later grow longer than the flowers stems after the blooming period.^[6][7][2]

It blooms between May and June.^[6][3] It normally has one flower but occasionally has two flowers,^[6][2] which have a violet-like fragrance.^[8] It has perianth tube (that measures about) 1.5 cm.^[6][2]

The flowers come in shades of purple, from blue-purple to violet.^[6][3][2][5] They are 4-4.5 cm in diameter.^[6][2] They have a white viened or striped signal (base of the fall of the flower).^[2][5]

It has 1.5cm long stamens and 5mm long ovary.^[6]

Between July and August, it fruits (after the blooming period is over).^[6][3]

It has oval/globose seed capsules (measuring 8-10 mm in diameter).^[6] Which differ from other irises by being un-ribbed.^[5] Inside the capsule, are round, black seeds, that have a small (fleshy-like) appendage.^[3][7][5]

Biochemistry

As most irises are diploid, having two sets of chromosomes. This can be used to identify hybrids and classification of groupings.^[9] 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.^[4]

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.^[10]

Taxonomy

It is written as 单花鸢尾 in Chinese script and 'dan hua yuan wei' in China.^[6][11] It has the common name of 'Rock Iris' in Tibet and the Tibetan name of 'Yuki Ozawa'.^[12]

It is also known as 'Single-flowered Iris' in Russia.^[3][13]

It was first widely published by Peter Simon Pallas in 'Jahrbücher der Gewächskunde' (Berlin and Leipzig) in 1820.^[11][14] But was first found and named by Link but he did not publish it widely.^[1]

It was illustrated later in The Garden (magazine) page 187 on 5 September 1896.^[8]

In 1981, Brian Mathew notes in his book 'The Iris' that "The Flora of the USSR separates this as a distinct species, distinguishedfrom Iris ruthenica.^[4] 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.^[6][7] It was described as Iris uniflora var. caricina by Kitagawa in the Botanical Magazine (of Tokyo) in 1935.^[6] Which is still considered a variant by the American Iris Society.^[4]

Iris uniflora is a tentatively accepted name by the RHS.^[15]

Distribution and habitat

Iris uniflora is native to temperate regions of Asia.^[11][16]

Range

It is found in Central Asia (including Transylvania),^[8] Russia (including the states of Siberia,^[11] Primorye^[3] and Transbaikalia^[3]) Mongolia,^{[12][3][11][17]} Tibet,^[12] Korea and China (including Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Manchuria and Qinghai ).^{[8][2][5][11][16]}

Habitat

It grows on the grasslands,^[5] (steppes)^[3] on the forest margins, in deciduous woods, hillsides and mountain slopes.^[6][3][7]

It was found in the Quercus forests in the Amur region of Russia.^[18]

Conservation

It was rare in Russia and mentioned in an early version of the Russian Red Book of Endangered Species.^[13] Currently not in the 2013 list.^[19] One population of iris uniflora is now under the protection of Lazo Nature Reserve.^[13]

Cultivation

It grows well in garden borders, but it only flowers in dry and sunny positions.^[8] 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.^[3]

It is a specimen in 7 Botanic Garden collections around the world.^[19]

In east Siberia, Aphis neonewtoni (Pashtshenko) is found on the upper sides of the leaves of Iris uniflora.^[20]

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.^[12]

Variants

Iris uniflora has only one known variant, as others found were re-classed as synonyms.

• Iris uniflora var. latifolia Skripka – which has a flower spike, growing taller than the foliage.^[3][4]

References

External links

• Media related to Iris uniflora at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Iris uniflora at Wikispecies