Re: Iris narcissiflora

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As soon as possible I will try to check I.narcissifolia citation in the library and will report back. I have always associated I.narcissiflora with pseudoregelias because in the rather poor picture that is published the flowers have a carriage similar to I.goniocarpa. This is weak evidence at best. Brian Mathew and Jim Waddick have been discussing pseudoregelias some time back and i believe have reached agreement that the Psammiris and the Pseudoregelias have been confused and that some reported psammiris are probably pseudoregelias. The criteria they use are the presence of a stoloniferous root system verses and tight clump. I. humilis for example has stolons with thicker rhizome at the end. I. potanninii is an example with roots coming off a very short rhizome and would be a pseudoregelia. My understanding was that the type specimen of I. narcissiflora did not have the roots/rhizome present for evaluation. I may be wrong in this because in checking Flora of China I think it said it had short stoloniferous rhizomes which would put it in the psammiris. Of course Zhao mat have seen additional specimens.

Juri Pirogov <jukp@aha.ru> wrote:

Only true pseudoregelias descending from desert areas, as is Iris tigridia, are extremely cold hardy. I doubt that pseudoregelias from subtropical mountains are as hardy as desert ones. At least my specimen being definetely pseudoregelia lost its young leaves during spring frost here.

 

Intent inspection of pseudoregelia's descriptions shows that those iris that Chen Yi sent as narcissiflora isn't true. It is either Iris dolichosiphon variant or Iris leptophylla with ribbed leaves 3 mm wide.

 

Accidentally I have made today another finding. In searches a type specimen of Iris orientalis Thunb. in Uppsala herbarium http://www-hotel.uu.se/evolmuseum/fytotek/

I have found a holotype of Iris narcissiFOLIA Diels with reference "Svensk Bot. Tidskr. 18: 428-429 (1924)" that  is usually given to Iris narcissiflora ! The citation is below:

 

Document_number  268459
ACcess.nr  V-146642
SPecies  Iris narcissifolia
AUctor  Diels
FAmily  Iridaceae
CountrY  CHINA
PRovince  SICHUAN
LOcality  Ta-pao-shan
COllector  S. Liljestrand
YEar  1922
DayMon  VII
HerBarium  UPS
Herb-Namn  Iris narcissifolia
REf.  Svensk Bot. Tidskr. 18: 428-429 (1924)
NOtes  Blommor gula. Kew negative No. 19923 (5.I.1981)
Type Material  HOLOTYPUS

 

Whether somebody can check up in Svensk Bot. Tidskr. what name was given by Diels to this iris: narcissiflora or narcissifolia?

 

Juri

From: r*@sbcglobal.net

As yet, I don't believe anyone who is knowledgeable has seen a authentic I. Narcissiflora in living condition and in bloom. I hope you may be the first. Unfortunately many attempts to secure plants and or seed have turned out to be something else. From the little we know about the original descriptions it would appear that it is most likely a pseudoregelia. I would expect it to be extremely cold hardy and that it would go into a summer dormancy as you experienced. From what i understand there has been only one picture taken of a living plant in flower. This photo came from a tourist who sent it to Brian Mathew for identification. From the location it was determined to be narcissiflora but the lack of detail in the picture did not allow for a great deal of definitive characteristics. It has been speculayed to be anything from a series chrysographes siberian to a psammiris or a pseudoregelia. My guess is the latter.

Juri Pirogov <jukp@aha.ru> wrote:

Does anyone have an experience with Iris narcissiflora?

Planted in spring it has quickly sprouted but lost its leaves by June. At the end of August new leaves has appeared, what don't give me an optimism regarding winter.

 

Juri

in Moscow

zone 4-3