''Iris chrysographes'', the black iris, is a plant
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
that belongs to the
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
''
Iris
Iris most often refers to:
*Iris (anatomy), part of the eye
*Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess
* ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants
* Iris (color), an ambiguous color term
Iris or IRIS may also refer to:
Arts and media
Fictional ent ...
''. It is native to Southern
China and
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
(Burma), growing in meadows, streamsides, hillsides and forest margins.
Other irises with black flowers include ''
Iris nigricans'' (the
national flower of
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
), ''
Iris petrana'', ''
Iris atrofusca
''Iris atrofusca'' (Judean iris or Gilead iris) is a species in the genus ''Iris'', where it is placed in the subgenus ''Iris'' and the section ''Oncocyclus''. It is a rhizomatous perennial from the deserts of Israel and Jordan. The species has ...
'', ''
Iris atropurpurea
''Iris atropurpurea'', the coastal iris ( he, אירוס הארגמן, ''Irus HaArgaman'', meaning "Purple Iris"; ar, سوسن أرجواني داكن, ''Sawsan argwānī al-dākin'') is a species in the genus ''Iris'', it is also in the subgenu ...
'', ''
Iris susiana'', and some varieties of ''
Iris germanica
Iris most often refers to:
*Iris (anatomy), part of the eye
*Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess
* ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants
* Iris (color), an ambiguous color term
Iris or IRIS may also refer to:
Arts and media
Fictional ent ...
''.
Classification
Horticultural classification: Sino-Siberian Iris, Beardless Iris.
Description
''Iris chrysographes'' is a clump-forming
herbaceous perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...
with creeping
rhizomes. The leaves are linear and greyish green, and up to long. The hollow flowering stems, long, bear slightly scented flowers in early summer. These are reddish violet to very dark violet, almost velvety black, and 6–9 cm in diameter. The outer
tepals
A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...
, or falls, usually have narrow golden yellow central stripes. After flowering, the leaves die down, leaving the rhizome in the earth for a dormant period until the autumn, when it sprouts into new growth.
Toxicity
All parts of the plant can cause indigestion if consumed.
[
]
Cultivation
''Iris chrysographes'' requires a neutral or acid soil
Soil pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity (alkalinity) of a soil. Soil pH is a key characteristic that can be used to make informative analysis both qualitative and quantitatively regarding soil characteristics. pH is defined as the neg ...
, in full sun. It is hardy to USDA zone 4, . Propagation is by seeds or division in the spring. Cultivars cannot be reliably grown from seed, and must be divided. For cooler areas plants do best if planted in the spring.
This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...
's Award of Garden Merit.
Cultivars
Some cultivars are grown, mainly "black" flowered clones under names such as 'Black Beauty', 'Black Knight',
'Stjerneskud'
and 'Kew Black'
is purplish violet.
''Iris chrysographes'' has been used in a number of hybrids with other species.
References
External links
Iris species database: ''Iris chrysographes''
Flora of China: ''Iris chrysographes''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1536172
chrysographes
Flora of Myanmar
Flora of South-Central China
Garden plants of Asia