Re: Iris furcata and Iris perrieri

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Edmundas; Your note about George Rodionenko?s description of Iris furcata is important. If George?s description is correct then what we have as Iris furcata is not really furcata at all. I have a very high respect for Dr. Rodionenko and although we have only spent time together on two occasions I count him as a friend and mentor. Unfortunately the dominant trend in botany at present is more towards lumping than splitting. George is a splitter. Brian Mathew on the other hand is a lumper. I had the privilege to bring them both together for their first face to face meeting. I was somewhat concerned as to the outcome. But they are both great gentleman and although they exchanged a couple of remarks about their positions in which they remain steadfast, they also have a friendship based on the love of Iris. Although Brian usually places furcata as a type of aphylla he certainly respects George?s position. I myself have tried to tread a middle ground. It is not important to me whether these plants are separate species, I only want to make sure that the variability is not ignored. It would seem that the specimens labeled furcata may have been different for George than those seen by Brian. In this country, it seems, everything labeled furcata has branching below the mid point. Again we have another mystery which will require a lot of investigation to sort through.

Edmundas Kondratas <konde@delfi.lt> wrote:

Hello tesilvers,

Monday, April 26, 2004, 2:46:28 PM, you wrote:

for tesilvers
the best judge for I.furcata I think is dr. Rodijonenko (Russia). In
his book he report (hope it will be helpful for you) that from
I.aphylla it differs:
1. less wide 8-10(15), but more upright leaves;
2. thin and graceful flowerstalk, which have branches not from base,
but from higher than middle of stalk;
3. flowers are less in mesurements, but of more intensive coloring of
violet-red tones;
4. the seed pod 3-4cm long with some flattened top;
5. seeds are less than those of I.aphylla 4-5mm long and 2-3mm wide.
In 1gramme 53-56 seeds (for aphylla - 32-35).
6. 2n=24 against for aphylla 48. Of course it is diploid.
In Northern Causasus where furcata grow there can be met form with one
flower on top of bloomstalk and often for that it is comfused with
I.pumila. In areas where furcata and pumila grow together there are no
found interspecies hybrids, because flowering time is
different-furcata flower latter.

Best regards,
Edmundas Kondratas
Kaunas, Lithuania                           mailto:konde@delfi.lt