''Iris ensata'', the Japanese iris or Japanese water iris (

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

: ''hanashōbu'', ハナショウブ), formerly ''I. kaempferi'', is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the family Iridaceae, native to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

and

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, and widely cultivated as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

. " Japanese iris" may also refer to '' I. sanguinea'' and '' I. laevigata'', both native to Japan.

Description

''Iris ensata'' is an erect

rhizomatous In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

growing to tall, with strap-shaped leaves. The flower, appearing in midsummer, is purple with a flash of yellow on the falls. The bluish purple color of the flowers is an example of the

copigmentation Copigmentation is a phenomenon where pigmentation due to anthocyanidins is reinforced by the presence of other colorless flavonoids known as cofactors or “copigments”. This occurs by the formation of a non-covalently-linked complex. Examples ...

phenomenon.

Habitat

Widely distributed throughout the Japanese archipelago and elsewhere, ''I. ensata'' is very hardy down to . It prefers a boggy or marshy environment and soil with a low (acidic) pH. In favourable conditions it will eventually form sizable clumps.

Cultivation

''Iris ensata'' is extensively grown as an

gardens A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...

and

parks A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. N ...

throughout the temperate zones of the world. ''Iris ensata'' is highly prized in Japan. It is possible that it was introduced into Japanese culture in

ancient times Ancient history is a time period from the History of writing, beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of Sumerian language, ...

, in association with rice farming. Certainly it has been cultivated and hybridised there for at least five centuries. The grows in the wet land and is the most extensively cultivated variety in Japanese gardens. According to the place where it was cultivated, ''I. ensata'' is classified into three strains – the Edo (Tokyo), Higo (Kumamoto Prefecture) and Ise (Mie Prefecture). Upon being introduced to the west in the mid-19th century, a new chapter was opened in the cultivation of this species. In America it was intensively hybridised to produce many new cultivars. Perhaps the most influential breeders in the United States have been Arlie Payne of Indiana, the Marx family of Oregon, Arthur Hazzard of Michigan, and Currier McEwan of Maine. Between them they have produced plants with large blooms and a wide range of colours. In the UK interest in this plant has been equally strong. The national collection is held at the Marwood Hill Gardens in Barnstaple, Devon. The following cultivars have 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 ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...

: *'Aldridge Visitor' *'Alpine Majesty' *'Barr Purple East' *'Caprician Butterfly' *'Crystal Halo' *'Flying Tiger' *'Frilled Enchantment' *'The Great Mogul' *'Hue and Cry' *'Katy Mendez' *'The Mancunian' *'Returning Tide' *'Rose Queen' *'Southern Son' *'Variegata'

Gallery

File:Meigetuin02.jpg, ''Hanashōbu'' at Meigetsuin File:Iris ensata var ensata2.jpg, ''Iris ensata'' var. ''ensata'' File:Iris ensata 'Narihira'01.jpg, 'Narihira' File:Iris ensata, 'Arctic Fancy' cultivar (Chanticleer Garden).jpg, 'Arctic Fancy'

References

External links

Hanashobu Park in Sawara, Japan
{{Authority control ensata Flora of Japan Flora of Korea Flora of Manchuria Flora of the Russian Far East Garden plants of Asia Plants described in 1794