Iris humilis ?

[Gerhard Raschun]

Today I have got a divisions of Iris sp., which have been collected in Georgia / Kaukasus at 2500m in a very dry area.

I looks for me like a Psammiris.Mayby it is I. humilis, I don`t know exactly the spreading.

Mayby somebody can help ?

[David Nicholson]

Gerhard, in Brian Mathew's 'The Iris' he has Iris humilis as a synonym of I. pontica.

"Dwarf tuft forming species about 10cm in height when in flower but with over-topping grassy leaves 2-4cm wide and upto 20-40cm long. Solitary flowershave stems only 1-4cm long and about 5-6cm in diameter with nearly orbicular blades to the falls, separated from the winged claw by a definite constriction. Flower colour is violet with whitish or pale greenish-yellow, vilet-veined area on the haft and the centre of the blade of the falls, and the whole flower is finely darker-veined. Capsule produced at or justabove ground level. It occurs in dryish steppe country in central and north-eastern Roumania, western Ukraine and the Caucuses, possibly extending eastwards into Russian Central Asia although it's exact distribution does not seem to be well known"

I hope this helps.

[Gerhard Raschun]

Dear David,

many thanks for your informations.I know the species, it is in northeast of Austria native too.Some plants in my collection outside in the garden.But I have never heard about violet flower colour ?! All plants bloom in yellow, I`ll show a pict......

Now I have got further information : Plants has been colectted near the border Georgia / Azerbaijan.

[David Nicholson]

Gerhard, it may be that things have moved on since Brian Mathew wrote 'The Iris' (1981) have a look at

http://www.badbear.com/signa/signa.pl?Iris-humilis

[Gerhard Raschun]

Gerhard, it may be that things have moved on since Brian Mathew wrote 'The Iris' (1981) have a look at

http://www.badbear.com/signa/signa.pl?Iris-humilis

Dear David,

there is written too: yellow colour with orange beard

[arillady]

The BIS Species group book A Guide to Species Irises says:
I. humilis Georgi syns I arenaria Waldst. & Kit., I flavissima Pall., I. falvissima subsp. stolonifera, I pineticola
Extensive from Austria east through central Europe to south-east Russia, Siberia, Rumania and Mongolia.
Flower: buds sometimes greeen touched with bronze; 3-4cm diameter; falls to 3.5cm long, 1.2cm wide, bright yellow; oblong blade rather shorter than halft, which is veined browish purple, haft horizontal; beard orange, club-shaped hairs tipped brown; standards to 3cm long, about 0.3cm wide, oblong, unguiculate, yellow brown-purple edging on haft and shorter than falls; styles to 2.5cm, narrow, crests short, triangular, acutely tipped; stigma entire; filaments colourless, same length as anthers; anthers cream with green-black edging; pollen greenish.

Now please don't ask me to type out the rest of the description!!

It does say at the end that Mathews has not found the plant easy.

Iris humilis Beechy is also a synonym of I. douglasiana Herbert,
I. pontica Zapalowicz has I humilis Bieb., as a synonym
I unguiculars subsp,cretinsis has I humilis Sieber ex Baker [nom.in schaed.] as a synonym too