Re: Iris suaveolens and reichenbachii

At 02:31 PM 6/29/01 +0200, DrMartin.Weber wrote:
>I am looking for rhizomes or seeds of Iris suaveolens. Could you help?
>
>Thanks
>Martin Weber
>Riederstr. 8
>D-82216 Maisach
>Germany

Martin -

Iris suaveolens, sometimes listed erroneously as I. melitta, is apparently 
native to Bulgaria to Turkey.  Its flowers are scented, stemless, varying 
from deep reddish purple through yellow, often with a curious olive-drab 
overlay.  It is closely related to a number of other similar species and 
apparently some hybridization does occur in the wild (just to confuse 
botanists, I'm sure!).  There is also a form whose leaves emerged suffused 
with red, which fades to a distinct reddish edge and is quite 
attractive.  It is like many Eastern Mediterranean Iris in requiring VERY 
well drained soil and good sun for adequate growth (it is native to rocky 
pockets on steep slopes).

Iris reichenbachii is also native to the Balkans, and the flowers are 
either purple or yellow in the wild.  There are dwarf forms in the 
horticultural trade.

Iris suaveolens is listed by Ivycroft Plants in the UK:
http://www.redmarley.freeserve.co.uk/ivycroft/ivycroft.htm
and Beeches Nursery, also in the UK:
http://www.beechesnursery.co.uk/
Both irises are listed in the Drue Matthews Garden of Mount Holyoke College 
Botanic Garden, Mass., USA:
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/botan/druelist.html
And seed of each was listed in Scottish Rock Garden Club's 1998 seedlist:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/home.htm
I. reichenbachii is listed with Pounsley Plants in the UK:
http://members.tripod.co.uk/pounsley/
and Seedsearch (also UK):
http://www.seedsearch.demon.co.uk/si.html
and Wrightman Alpines, Canada:
http://home.golden.net/~wrightman/

For those unfamiliar with this little iris, there is a short bit about it at:
www.geocities.com/speciesiris/read007.htm


h o r t u l u s   a p t u s     -    'a garden suited to its purpose'
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