Iris persica

Iris persica, the Persian iris, is a native plant of Iran. It is particularly known for its beauty and fragrance.

Iris persica
The Botanical Magazine, Plate 1
(Volume 1, 1787)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Iridaceae
Genus: Iris
Subgenus: Iris subg. Scorpiris
Section: Iris sect. Scorpiris
Species:
I. persica
Binomial name
Iris persica
Synonyms[2]
  • Coresantha persica Alef
  • Juno persica Tratt
  • Iris praecox Salisb.
  • Costia persica (L.) Willk.
  • Iris bolleana Siehe
  • Iris issica Siehe
  • Iris persica var. bolleana (Siehe) Dykes
  • Iris persica var. isaacsonii Foster
  • Iris persica var. issica (Siehe) Dykes
  • Iris persica var. purpurea (Siehe) Dykes
  • Iris persica f. sieheana (Lynch) B.Mathew & Wendelbo
  • Iris persica var. sieheana (Lynch) Dykes
  • Iris praecox Salisb.
  • Iris purpurea Siehe
  • Iris sieheana Lynch
  • Iris squamata Gaterau
  • Thelysia persica (L.) Parl.
  • Xiphion persicum (L.) Mill.

One of the first Juno irises to be described, this species has been in cultivation for centuries and was listed by Philip Miller in his book of 1732. It was originally grown as an indoor plant.[3]

Description

This bulbous perennial is short, about 4 inches (10 cm) high. The leaves are 0.2 to 0.6 inches (5 to 15 mm) wide with a pale edge and a grey underside. The flowers are 2 inches (5 cm) across, varying in colour from brownish to greenish or greyish.[4]

Distribution

It is an alpine plant growing in the hills of Iraq,[5] Turkey and Syria, at altitudes between 300 and 5400 feet (100 to 1650 metres).[4]

Cultivation

Iris persica needs warmth and shelter to blossom but can be grown in the open air. It flowers in February and March and may flower for up to six weeks in a row.

The beauty of this plant attracted the attention of gardening writers including Vita Sackville-West,[6] Gertrude Jekyll,[7] and William Robinson in his 1893 book The English Flower Garden,[8] among others. Jekyll wrote "How endlessly beautiful are the various kinds of Iris, of which so many bloom in June... in a snug sunny place at the foot of a south wall Iris persica, whose delicate petals of palest greenish-blue are boldly painted with stronger colours..."[7]

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References
  1. Curtis, 1787.
  2. "Iris persica L." theplantlist.org. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  3. Austin, Claire (2005). Irises A Garden Encyclopedia. Timber Press, Incorporated. p. 301. ISBN 978-0881927306.
  4. "Iris persica". Alpine garden society. 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  5. Stevens, Michelle L.; Alwash, Suzie (January 2003). "Draft Report Biological Characteristics Mesopotamian Marshlands Of Southern Iraq" (PDF). The Iraq Foundation. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  6. Vita Sackville-West (2004). Even More for your Garden. Frances Lincoln. p. 103
  7. Gertrude Jekyll (1900). Home and Garden. Cambridge University Press. p. 71
  8. William Robinson (1893). The English Flower Garden, Notes and Thoughts, Practical and Critical, of a Worker in Both. John Murray.

Sources
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