Re: LA: Dormancy?

From: "Patrick O'Connor" <swamp@ix.netcom.com>

I know little about the "Louisiana" irises native to the Southeast.  I do
wonder, however, whether the irises you mention in Citrus and Levy Counties
are not I. hexagona.  I will have to dig out some articles I have about the
distribution of the Louisianas and refresh my memory.  There are some that
argue that I. hexagona does not occur in Louisiana at all, and it may be
that I. giganticaerulea does not occur as far East as Florida.  The irises
are very semilar, the most obvious difference being the short stature of I.
hexagona, compared to the tall giganticaerulea.

A few years ago Norlan Henderson did some research on distribution and
concluded that there may be some distinct groups deserving of species
designation that occur in Florida.  I don't think that view has been
generally accepted.   I don't know where this all stand at the moment.   
At 10:28 PM 8/11/98 -0400, you wrote:
>From: "william b. cook" <billc@atlantic.net>
>
>Patrick,
>
>> In Louisiana, the swamps do not dry out in summer.  Oh, okay, this year
>may
>> be an exception, but in the swamp habitat of I. giganticaerulea, the
>irises
>> can expect to be in standing water all year. 
>  I. brevicaulis is not found in standing
>> water, but rather in low meadows.   It generally goes dormant in summer. 
>
>
>     There are some native stands of Iris giganticaerula in neighboring
>Citrus County, and possibly in Levy County too.  They are all in swamps,
>which happen to be nature preserves.  This past spring, I saw some of this
>species blooming in a drainage canal in Crystal River, outside the nature
>preserve, but between the road and the plants was an eight foot
>Alligator...
>     Iris brevicaulis is found wild from Florida to Louisiana to Kentucky
>and even Ohio.  Its range may be greater.  In Kentucky, it went dormant
>some years, but not in others depending on the rainfall.
>
>Mark A. Cook
>billc@atlantic.net
>Dunnellon, Florida.    USDA Zone 8/9    Sunset Zone 28/26   
>
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