Re: naming irises

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Sean Zera and Victor have given good explanations. I would just like to add a couple of points. There is often considerable variation within a species population. Rock gardeners like myself are often thrilled by diminutive forms of an otherwise larger species. But whatever the variation, it is often lost or forgotten, unless it is given a name. This is a cultivar name. The plant still remains a representative of the species ,but its divergent character is noted, and often prized by gardeners. Any packet of species seed may present a new desirable cultivar among the seedlings. If the seed came from a specified location or the plant was collected out of a wild population this new cultivar may be registered for free. This motion was made several years ago by myself to the AIS board in an effort to record diversity in natural populations. The only requirement is that it have the provenance of its natural habitat provided and recorded with the registrar. In a sense these are living herbarium specimens documenting the natural diversity. Hybrids raised in the garden presently have a $15 registration fee.

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From: "'Victor W. Lambou' v*@msn.com [iris-species]" <i*@yahoogroups.com>
To: i*@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, February 2, 2015 2:04:15 PM
Subject: RE: [iris-species] naming irises

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Naming species:

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Sean Z. explanation below in his email on species naming basics and the number of iris species is excellent and on target. I have not followed closely the thread of Seanâs postings so I apologize if I repeat information previously posted. I am sure, everyone is well aware that there are lumpers and splitters among those who name species (irises as well as other plants and animals) and also that the information upon which a species description is based may subsequently be found to be deficient or inaccurate. But, ignoring that and assuming we have sufficient accurate data there is another problem. Different workers often use different concepts of what constitutes a species. For example, Coyne and Orr (2004) in their excellent book on speciation have an appendix that reviews a large number of species concepts. Other somewhat modern good texts on the subject are Avise (2002), Mayr (1942) and of course there is Grantâs 1981 book on plant speciation. Many, especially those with an ecological education and work background, including myself, prefer the biological species concept which Mayr (1995) defined as: âSpecies are groups of interbreeding natural populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups.â Coyne and Orr (2004) adopt Mayrâs definition with a few caveats. They state that in their view ââdistinct species are characterized by substantial but not necessarily complete isolation.â And there is what Coyne and Orr term the âPhylogenetic Species Concepts (PSCs)â which is ââ concerned with identifying historically related groups of which systematics are the main proponents ââ Sometimes there can be quite a bit of acrimony between proponents of the two concepts. Often, the two groups come up with the same species delineations but sometimes they very hostilely disagree. I am especially interested in the distribution and status of wild Louisiana irises (i.e., I. hexagona, I. fulva, I. brevicaulis, I. giganticaerulea, and I. nelsonii). And, from what I can discern, I am coming more and more to the conclusion that I. hexagona and I. giganticaerulea are not distinct species. I am not alone in coming to that conclusion.ÂÂ

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Vic

Avise, John C. 2002. Phylogeography The History and Formation of Species. Harvard University Press.

Coyne, Jerry A. and H. Allen Orr. 2004. Speciation. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Massachusetts, USA.

Grant, Vern. 1981. Plant Speciation. Columbia University Press, New York.

Mayr, E. 1942. Systematics and the Origin of Species. Columbia University Press.

Mayr, E. 1995. Species, Classification, and Evolution. pp. 3-12 in R. Arai, M. Kato, and Y. Doi (eds.) Biodiversity and Evolution. National Science Museum Foundation, Tokyo.

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From: i*@yahoogroups.com [mailto:i*@yahoogroups.com]
Sent: Saturday, January 31, 2015 5:07 PM
To: i*@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [iris-species] naming irises

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Some more naming basics:

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There are roughly 250 to 300 wild species of irises. There is no exact number, partly because not all species are yet known to science, but mainly because not all botanists agree on which plants are distinct species. This is often because the plants themselves don't seperate neatly into the discrete units people would like them to! To name a new species, youÂdescribe it in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, at which point it is considered published. Preserved specimens are stored permanently, commonly at a university, so that future scientists have access to an example of the exact plant you were talking about.

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Gardeners use cultivar names to uniquely identify clones of irises in cultivation. These could be unique forms of wild species, or more commonly garden hybrids. To name a new cultivar, you introduce it by offering the plant for sale to the public, publishing the name and description in a nursery's catalog. Popular plants like irises will have an official registrar group to try to keep track of all the cultivar names. It is not required that you registerÂyour cultivar, but doing so helps to prevent accidentally duplicating one of those 65,000 names.

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Sean Z

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Bob Pries
Zone 7a
Roxboro, NC
(336)597-8805