Bob;
Here is the correspondence from the pix taker, it includes a translation from Slovenian of the description. As discussed in the text the real question is it a proper ssp?
Dear Bill,
I am afraid I am not a competent guy to answer your question adequately since I am not a professional botanist. I can only translate the text given in "A. Martincic, Mala Flora Slovenije, 1999, p 657" (official plant determination key of Slovenia - in Slovenian language).
In comparison to I. sibirica ssp.sibirica, the I.sibirica ssp. erirrhiza (Pospichal) T.Wraber [I.erirrhiza Pospichal, I sibirica var. erirrhiza (Pospichal)] should have:
- thicker rhizome covered by chestnut-brown scales (I didn't look at this since the plant is endangered and didn't want to dig it out),
- flattened stem in contrast to round steam of I.sibirica ssp sibirica,
- 60-70 cm tall plant (taller than I.sibirica ssp sibirica)
- leaves 3 to 6 mm wide,
- leaves only slightly shorter than flowering stems in contrast to I.sibirica ssp. sibirica where the leaves are significantly shorter than blooming stems),
- petals narrower than at I. sibirica ssp. sibirica,
- a plant of dry, stony Karst grassland (while I. sibirica ssp sibirica grows mainly on humid places).
It is an endemic and endangered plant in Slovenia. The pictures were taken close to its 'locus clasicus' on Cicarija mountains, Mt. Kojnik, north Istria peninsula, a submediterranean region extending across south Slovenia and west Croatia. In Slovenian language we call it Kojniska perunika (Kojnik's Iris).
I also read some papers stating that the situation regarding Irises growing in Slovenia is not yet completely clear among professionals. I also read a paper written by botanists from Croatia who performed statistical research on some differential characteristics between ssp sibirica and ssp erirrhisa. The paper stated that most of them were statistically insignificant. What is the truth and what is the current official status of the ssp. erirrhisa name I don't know. Anyway, according to currently valid doctrine of species in my country and the latest determination key, it exists. I've slowly learned that this issue is far from a generally valid agreement among botanists from different countries/regions/continents.
In the pictures the flowers are held just above the foliage.
http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?query_src="">index&enlarge=0000+0000+0606+1854
Bill
Robt R Pries <rpries@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>Bill
>
>Iris sibirica erirrhiza was mention in an article by
>Tim Loe, I believe in the BIS species group newsletter
>a few years back. I e-mailed Tim so I could gather
>details about the plant. He visited Slovenia and saw
>plants. As I remember they had flowers down in the
>foliage and the only claim to fame was that they may
>provide genes for tolerating another set of climatic
>conditions. Tim sent me some notes but at the moment I
>can not lay my hands on them.
>
>I have put an entry in the current SIGNA checklist for
>it but I do not have any information there yet except
>for the fact that it was first described by Eduard
>Pospichal, 1897-99. I seem to remember that the
>reference was in Croatian so I could not get a
>description. I am afraid I am suffering some burnout
>on work on the SIGNA checklist. It is such a huge
>project and there seems to be so little interest that
>I find it hard to get enthusiastic about the work
>required to keep adding to it.
>
>--- Ellen Gallagher <ellengalla@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi Bill,
>>
>> Maybe you should post this to the iris-species
>> list on Yahoogroups. If you don't subscribe, one of
>> us who does can forward it for you. It is not a
>> terribly busy list, so I recommend subscribing to
>> anyone interesting in iris species.
>>
>> Ellen
>>
>> Jpwflowers@aol.com wrote:
>> Hi Bill, I remember it being written up
>> in the BIS Yearbook a few years ago. Somebody saw
>> it on a trip to Italy, I think, and wrote it up.
>> Marty
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: wmcdougherty@cs.com
>> To: Sibrob@yahoogroups.com
>> Sent: Wed, 29 Nov 2006 1:32 PM
>> Subject: [sibrob] I. sibirica ssp. erirrhiza
>>
>> Hello everyone;
>>
>> I stumbled into a group of pictures on Calphotos
>> listed as I. sibirica ssp. erirrhiza. According to
>> the owner of the pix a subspecies (of some question)
>> of I. sibirica which grows well in a
>> sub-mediterranian climate, European Zone 8-9. Is
>> anyone familiar with this plant? In Slovenia it has
>> endangered species status.
>>
>> Bill Dougherty
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ---------------------------------
>> Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of
>> free safety and security tools, free access to
>> millions of high-quality videos from across the web,
>> free AOL Mail and more.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
