''Iris formosana'' is a species of plant in the genus ''
Iris
Iris most often refers to:
*Iris (anatomy), part of the eye
* Iris (color), an ambiguous color term
*Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess
* ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants
* Iris (given name), a feminine given name, and a list of peopl ...
'', it is also in the subgenus ''
Limniris'' and the section ''Lophiris''. It is a
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 ...
perennial plant
In horticulture, the term perennial (''wikt:per-#Prefix, per-'' + ''wikt:-ennial#Suffix, -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annual plant, annuals and biennial plant, biennials. It has thus been d ...
, from
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
, it has large white or lilac flowers. It is commonly known as the 'Taiwan iris'. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in
temperate
In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...
regions.
Description
It has thick rhizomes,
with slender branching
stolons
In biology, a stolon ( from Latin '' stolō'', genitive ''stolōnis'' – "branch"), also known as a runner, is a horizontal connection between parts of an organism. It may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton. Typically, animal stolons ar ...
.
It has the habit of creating large clumps of plants.
It has herbaceous,
[ erect, sword shaped, rigid,][ leaves that are greyish-green on one side and bright green on the other side.][
The leaves have between 3 and 5 veins or ribs.][ They are similar to '']Iris japonica
''Iris japonica'', common name, commonly known as fringed iris, shaga and butterfly flower, is a native plant, native of China and Japan. It is a species in the genus ''Iris (plant), Iris'', in the subgenus ''Iris subg. Limniris, Limniris'' and ...
''s leaves.[
It has a thick,][ flowering stem that can vary, between long.][
It has between 4 and 5 branches.][British Iris Society (1997) ]
The stems have 4–6 spathe
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale.
Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also look ...
s (leaves of the flower bud), which have membranous margins.[
The stems (and branches) hold between 3 and 5 flowers,][ in Spring,][ or between March and April (in Europe).][
The flowers are similar to ''Iris japonica'' but with shorter basal leaves and larger white flowers.][
The flowers are in diameter,][ and come in shades of white,][ or lilac,][ light purple,][ or lavender,][ or pale blue.]sepals
A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106
Etymology
The term ''sepalum'' ...
(outer petals), known as the 'falls' and 3 inner, smaller petals (or 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 ve ...
), known as the 'standards'.[ The falls are obovate, 4–5 cm long and 2.5 cm wide.][ They blue lines and yellow-brown (or purple,][ or mauve,][) spots around a large yellow or orange crest.][
The standards reflexed obliquely, oblanceolate to oblong,][ and 2.5–3 cm long and 1.5 cm wide.][ It has a furrowed apex.][
It has a white 1 cm long perianth tube,][ 8–9 mm long anthers, that are oblong to linear in shape, 1.5 cm long white filaments and a 1 cm long ovary.][
It has pale blue or white style branches, that are 2 cm long and 6–7 mm wide, that has a fimbriate (fringed) lobe.][
It is self-sterile.][
After the iris has flowered, it produces an oblong-ovate seed capsule,][ measuring 3–4 cm long.][ It has the remains of the perianth tube on the apex of the capsule.][
]
Genetics
As most irises, this species is diploid
Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell, and hence the number of possible alleles for autosomal and pseudoautosomal genes. Here ''sets of chromosomes'' refers to the number of maternal and paternal chromosome copies, ...
, having two sets of chromosomes
A chromosome is a package of DNA containing part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes, the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with nucleosome-forming packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells, the most importa ...
. This can be used to identify hybrids and classification of groupings.[
It has been count several times. Including 2n=28, Yasui 1939,][ ex ]Randolph Randolph may refer to:
Places In the United States
* Randolph, Alabama, an unincorporated community
* Randolph, Arizona, a populated place
* Randolph, California, a village merged into the city of Brea
* Randolph, Illinois, an unincorporated com ...
& Mitra, AIS 140, 57. 1956, 2n=35, Chimphamba, 1973.[ and 2n=35 (JR Ellis and Y Lim).][
The chromosome count is normally published as 2n = 28][ or as 2n=28, 35.][
]
Taxonomy
It has the common name of 'Taiwan Iris'.Chinese script
Chinese characters are logographs used Written Chinese, to write the Chinese languages and others from regions historically influenced by Chinese culture. Of the four independently invented writing systems accepted by scholars, they represe ...
and also known as ''tai wan yuan wei'' in Pinyin
Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means 'Han Chinese, Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin' ...
in China.[
The pinyin common name is derived from the ']Milvus
''Milvus'' is a genus of medium-sized birds of prey. The genus was erected by the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède in 1799 with the red kite as the type species. The name is the Latin word for the red kite.
The genus ''Milvus'' h ...
' tail flower, because the shape of the irises flower is similar in form to that of the tail of the Milvus (or kite).[
It is known in ]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 ...
as ''I wa ta shi san ga ya'' meaning 'Taiwan butterfly flower'.
The Latin specific epithet
In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...
''formosana'' refers to the island of Formosa
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The island of Taiwan, formerly known to Westerners as Formosa, has an area of and makes up 99% of the land under ROC control. It lies about across the Taiwan Strait f ...
(former name of Taiwan).
It was first published and described by Jisaburo Ohwi
was a Japanese botanist. He was a distinguished member of the Faculty of Science of Kyoto Imperial University. He is perhaps best known for his 1953 .
Species named after Ohwi
* (Cyperaceae) '' Carex ohwii'' Masam.
* (Cyperaceae) '' Cyperus oh ...
in Acta Phytotaxonomica et Geobotanica. (Acta Phytotax. Geobot.) Vol.3 page115 in 1934.[
It was verified by ]United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...
and the Agricultural Research Service
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the principal in-house research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). ARS is one of four agencies in USDA's Research, Education and Economics mission area. ARS is charged with ext ...
on 4 April 2003, and then updated on 2 December 2004.[
''Iris formosana'' is a tentatively accepted name by the RHS.]
Distribution and habitat
Iris formosana is native
Native may refer to:
People
* '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood
* '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth
* Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory
** Nat ...
to temperate regions of Asia.[
]
Range
It is found in north eastern Taiwan.[
]
Habitat
It grows at forest margins, on hillsides or steep cliffs and beside roadsides.[
It grows at mid-elevation and low-elevation mountain,][ ]altitudes
Altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context (e.g., aviation, geometry, geographical s ...
of between above sea level.[
]
Conservation
It is increasingly becoming scarce in the wild.[
The habitat of ''Iris formosana'', is threaten by various factors including, climate change, and human influences. Examples of loss of habitat includes a roadside being mowed regularly and sprayed with ]herbicide
Herbicides (, ), also commonly known as weed killers, are substances used to control undesired plants, also known as weeds.EPA. February 201Pesticides Industry. Sales and Usage 2006 and 2007: Market Estimates. Summary in press releasMain page f ...
, and mudslides
A mudflow, also known as mudslide or mud flow, is a form of mass wasting involving fast-moving flow of debris and dirt that has become liquified by the addition of water. Such flows can move at speeds ranging from 3 meters/minute to 5 meters/se ...
caused by torrential rains collapsing mountainous crags.[
]
Cultivation
It is not hardy
Hardy may refer to:
People
* Hardy (surname)
* Hardy (given name)
* Hardy (singer), American singer-songwriter Places Antarctica
* Mount Hardy, Enderby Land
* Hardy Cove, Greenwich Island
* Hardy Rocks, Biscoe Islands
Australia
* Hardy, ...
to in northern climates,[ and will not tolerate frosts.][
It is hardy to ]USDA
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commerc ...
Zone 8 or 9 (−6 °C to −1 °C)[
Due to its non-hardiness in the UK, it is uncommon in cultivation.][
It prefers to grow in humus rich soils,][ with good drainage.][ It can tolerate various soil types,][ including ]calcareous
Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime (mineral), lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of Science, scientific disciplines.
In zoology
''Calcare ...
or siliceous
Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , commonly found in nature as quartz. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is one of the most complex and abundant ...
.[
It can tolerate neutral or acidic soils (PH levels between 6.5 and 7.5).][
It prefers positions in the shade or partial shade.][
It also prefers to be moist during the growing season,][ or have medium to high ]humidity
Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation (meteorology), precipitation, dew, or fog t ...
level.[ Over watering or excess water at winter can kill the plant.][
It can be grown in a mixed flower border,][ or as a ]ground cover
Groundcover or ground cover is any plant that grows low over an area of ground, which protects the topsoil from erosion and drought. In a terrestrial ecosystem, the ground cover forms the layer of vegetation below the shrub layer known as the ...
plant.[
It can be also grown in containers, in sheltered positions.][
It can be affected by ]slugs
Slug, or land slug, is a common name for any apparently shell-less terrestrial gastropod mollusc. The word ''slug'' is also often used as part of the common name of any gastropod mollusc that has no shell, a very reduced shell, or only a sma ...
and snails.[
]
Propagation
It can also be propagated by division,[ or by seed growing.][
It is thought to be able to root in water. If the water contains lumps of ]charcoal
Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, ca ...
, to reduce bad smells.[
]
References
Sources
*Mathew, B. 1981. The Iris. 71–73.
*Waddick, J. W. & Zhao Yu-tang. 1992. Iris of China.
*Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994– Flora of China (English edition)
External links
{{Taxonbar, from=Q10915184
formosana
Plants described in 1934
Flora of Asia
Endemic flora of Taiwan