Bearded iris 2016

[arilnut]

Here is I pumila today.

John B

[Dave M]

Starting for me this year with the dainty Iris suaveolens 'Helvolus Group'

and Iris lutescens glowing in the morning sunshine

[Chris Johnson]

This is the first flowering from seed bought as Iris lutescens ssp. lutescens. I was fortunate to get both colour forms. However, I've not been able to find any information as to why this has subspecific rank.

Can anyone point me in the right direction, please?

[Chris Johnson]

One that lost its label on the move north. If anyone can provide a name, I would be grateful.

[Karaba]

This is the first flowering from seed bought as Iris lutescens ssp. lutescens. I was fortunate to get both colour forms. However, I've not been able to find any information as to why this has subspecific rank.

The other subspecies is subbiflora from western Spain, Portugal and northern Africa wich is taller, see http://www.flora-on.pt/#/1Iris+subbiflora and Flora iberica.
Iris lutescens have more than 2 colour forms, at least 4 very different forms (white, yellow, violet, blue) and 2-4 more variations, all can be found in the same populations. There are also lot of differences in robustness, some are tall , some are very short : flower on first picture is 9 cm tall, on the second picture, they are almost 30 cm

[Chris Johnson]

Thanks for the reply, Yvain.

With so much natural variation within the species, it emphasises my query as to what is so special to justify the subspecific name 'lutescens'?

[Karaba]

Because subbiflora is an accepted subspecies at least by some botanists (see the plantlist), this need at least an other subspecies to include all the other populations.
subbiflora is sometimes recognized as a true species (see flora-on). Even Flora iberica recognize that there are some differences between western populations (cf. subbiflora) and eastern ones (cf. lutescens). Infraspecific rank for subbiflora is a position between Flora-on and Flora iberica.
This is also true that Iris lutescens is very variable, many subspecies have been described (chamaeiris, olbiensis...) but few have any taxonomic value.

sorry for my english, I hope to be understood but this is not so easy for me to explain...

[David Nicholson]

This is the first flowering from seed bought as Iris lutescens ssp. lutescens. I was fortunate to get both colour forms. However, I've not been able to find any information as to why this has subspecific rank.

Can anyone point me in the right direction, please?

I'm not sure it has subspecific rank Chris. I can't say that I'm uptodate with Iris taxonomy but Mathew didn't credit it in 1981/9 and the SIGNA species list doesn't credit it either.

[Chris Johnson]

I'm not sure it has subspecific rank Chris. I can't say that I'm uptodate with Iris taxonomy but Mathew didn't credit it in 1981/9 and the SIGNA species list doesn't credit it either.

Thanks David, nice iris though.

EDIT - deleted nonsense.

[Karaba]

variety ? Finally, I don't understand your problem. Is it about the colour ? ssp. lutescens does not refer to the colour. ssp. lutescens can be yellow violet, white... This name is just the autonym, depending of wheter subbiflora is credited as a species or a subspecies.. SANBI does not credit spp. lutescens because they credit I. subbiflora as a species. Flora iberica consider that there is all the intermediate between subbiflora and lutescens and thus, subbiflora is not even a subspecies. Other taxonomist take an intermediate position with one species and 2 subspecies but, one more time, this in not about colour.

[Tasmanian Taffy]

Hi Chris,
looks very much like Iris Bicapitata to me.
Cheers John.

[Chris Johnson]

variety ? Finally, I don't understand your problem. Is it about the colour ? ssp. lutescens does not refer to the colour. ssp. lutescens can be yellow violet, white... This name is just the autonym, depending of wheter subbiflora is credited as a species or a subspecies.. SANBI does not credit spp. lutescens because they credit I. subbiflora as a species. Flora iberica consider that there is all the intermediate between subbiflora and lutescens and thus, subbiflora is not even a subspecies. Other taxonomist take an intermediate position with one species and 2 subspecies but, one more time, this in not about colour.

I was concentrating on the colour but got the jist of it now.

Thanks again.

[Chris Johnson]

Hi Chris,
looks very much like Iris Bicapitata to me.
Cheers John.

Hi John

Thanks for that thought.

As I understand it,  Iris bicapitata is twin-headed (hence the name) and mine are single.

[Lesley Cox]

Has anyone a correct name for this very tiny DB hybrid (American, I'm pretty sure, and quite old) please?

[Philip Walker]

Iris babadagica