Re: I. alexeenkoi

Hi all,
 
I know nothing about I. alexeenkoi, but some parallel observations:
 
I. pumila - pretty much any cultivar, will have the tube shorter than the spathe, and not showing at all in a plant out in sun here (I live not far from Cindy in central NM).  In a pot with rich soil and a bit of shade, the tube will be much longer and more pronounced, the flower usually larger, and the entire plant larger too.

I. 'Albicans' - similar observations, but much more dramatic.
 
I suspect that the same is true of many Iris, but I've never really documented it nor even paid attention to this in other Irises.  I do know that size can be dramatically affected by environment in nearly all Irises.
 
On the flip side, Cindy's plant and Juri's do look too different for this to be the explanation to me (but that doesn't mean it ain't so!).  What is the natural variation seen in this trait in wild populations?  Is I. alexeenkoi really even more than a regional variant of I. pumila (using biological definition of a species)?
 
Dave
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, April 15, 2006 9:07 PM
Subject: [iris-species] I. alexeenkoi

Bob, Juri, Lowell,

This is just a thought. As Russia is very moist and dark during the winter,
and New Mexico is dry and bright sunshine could that cause the tube of the
same plant to be short here and long in Russia. Juri your picture of I.
alexeenkoi matches The BIS and Kohlein's description.

Juri, how tall are Pumilas in Russia? This year mine are only 2 inches high
(approximately 5cm). We haven't had any measurable rain since August. Oh
excuse me one snow storm in March we got about an inch, but it was so dry
and the wind was so strong the ground was dry by afternoon and almost all
the moisture evaporated.

I'm not sure how much environment can change appearance. This is merely a
though.

Cindy
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