''Iris graeberiana'' is a species 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 ...

'', in the subgenus of ''Scorpiris''. It is a

bulbous In botany, a bulb is a short underground stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs duri ...

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 ...

Description

In late spring, (or April), it has between 4–6 flowers per stem and reaches a maximum height of tall. It has pale silvery mauve flowers. It also comes in blueish-lavender, or blue-violet shades. The flowers are wide with a wavy, white crest on each fall. Which is surrounded by a pale, boldly veined zone. The white margined leaves, have glossy mid-green tops, but with greyish green bottoms, which are scattered along the stem. The leaves grow to approximately tall at flowering time, then they extend to twice this. They are between wide.

Taxonomy

It was named after Paul Graeber (a plant collector who also collected '' Iris hoogiana'' and ''

Tulipa Tulips are spring-blooming perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes in the ''Tulipa'' genus. Their flowers are usually large, showy, and brightly coloured, generally red, orange, pink, yellow, or white. They often have a different coloured ...

ostrowskiana'' for the Dutch Van Tubergen company). It was first published in

Botanical Magazine ''The Botanical Magazine; or Flower-Garden Displayed'', is an illustrated publication which began in 1787. The longest running botanical magazine, it is widely referred to by the subsequent name ''Curtis's Botanical Magazine''. Each of the issue ...

Vol.167 on table 126 by Sealy in 1950. ''Iris graeberiana'' is an accepted name by the RHS, and the iris is recognized by the

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 ...

, since 2003.

Distribution and habitat

It is native to

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

, and

Turkestan Turkestan,; ; ; ; also spelled Turkistan, is a historical region in Central Asia corresponding to the regions of Transoxiana and East Turkestan (Xinjiang). The region is located in the northwest of modern day China and to the northwest of its ...

(parts of the former republic of USSR) in Central Asia.

Cultivation

It is known as one of the more vigorous species, therefore is easier to grow the others in the subgenus. It is also

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, ...

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 5–8. They are best grown in well-drained soils in open, stony places or an

Alpine house A greenhouse is a structure that is designed to regulate the temperature and humidity of the environment inside. There are different types of greenhouses, but they all have large areas covered with transparent materials that let sunlight pass an ...

, but some growers recommend outside culture, if sheltered from heavy summer rains. The plant attracts birds and butterflies. It can be seen growing in ''Le Grand Clos'' botanical garden in

Bourgueil Bourgueil () is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France. Population Bourgueil wine Bourgueil is an ''appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC) for wine in the Loire Valley region, and produces primarily red wine from ...

, France.

Known hybrids

*''Iris graeberiana'' 'White fall', It is thought to have been bred by crossing ''Iris graeberiana'' with '' Iris magnifica''. *''Iris graeberiana'' 'Yellow fall', *''Iris graeberiana'' 'Dark Form' ; a more hardy plant but with smaller darker flowers. It is similar to '' Iris zenaidae'' but with smaller flowers.

References

Other sources

* S. K. Czerepanov, 1995. Vascular plants of Russia and adjacent states (the former USSR) Cambridge University Press. (note: listed as ''Iris graberana'' Sealy) * Walter Erhardt, Erich Götz, Nils Bödeker, Siegmund Seybold: Der große Zander. Eugen Ulmer KG, Stuttgart 2008, . (Ger.) * Brian Mathew, 1981. Iris, * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q15570485 graeberiana Plants described in 1853 Flora of Tajikistan Flora of Central Asia