Re: SPEC: Spurias ..., notha

Ian in Ottawa wrote:
> Lane, some spurias grow in ditches and marshes in their native areas of
> Turkey, and the southern region of the old USSR.  Because of the low
> rainfall in the summer and high temperatures, the marshes dry out and
> the soil becomes quite salty. 

Yes, it's right. Several spuria species/subspecies are rather water
tolerant, at least first half of the summer. Spring they can be under water
rather long time. They are I.halophila  and four species/subspecies that
are similar to I.spuria and replace each other: I.daghestanica from
north-east Caucasus, I.klattii from Azerbajchan, I.carthaliniae from
Georgia and I.musulmanica from Armenia
> 
> With regard to Anner's problem with I. spuria notha, I can not think of
> an explanation.  The climate of Southern England, where it grows well,
> is very similar to that of Virginia except for your hot and humid
> summers. 
I. notha that is endemic of North Caucasus and similar I.demetrii from
Trans-Caucasus are quite different from other spuria and can't be
concidered as subspecies of I.spuria.
It grow in meadows at southern slopes of hills and isn't tolerant to exept
watering. 
Its cromosome count is only 2n=38, not 40-44 as  ones of spuria subspecies
are.
Its flower looks wery accurate beacause its spathes are dark green and not
swelled.
Here at subburbs of Moscow I.notha can not be happy at the wet place where
other spurias grow well. It needs more raised place. (We have about 650 mm
annual precipitations: May-50 mm, June-70 mm, July-80 mm, August-75 mm,
Sept-60 mm, Oct-55 mm)

>I would try again from seed!  I have a so-called I. spuria
> musulmanica which took a long time to establish.  It flowered right down
> near the base the first year and the flowers were less than
> spectacular.  Subsequently, it has flowered at the right height and the
> flowers are now normal, although not very large.  It seems to be getting
> into its stride.  My only problem now is that the flowers are yellow and
> musulmanica is blue-violet!  the only two subspecies of I. spuria with
> yellow flowers are cathalinae and xanthospuria - may be, it is not even
> an I. spuria.
> 
I. carthaliniae never has yellow flowers only blue-violet. I.halophila have
whitish or dirty yellowish flowers at Northern Caucasus, Siberia,
Kazakhstan, but there are wery handsome forms of I.halophila with bright
golden-yellow flowers at Moldova.
Rodionenko mentions white or rare yellowish forms only for I.daghestanica
in the lower Kura river.

Juri
in Moscow, Russia
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