''Iris relicta'' is a plant species in the genus ''

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 also in the subgenus ''

''. It is a rare

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 h ...

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 wide ...

, from the mountains of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. It is medium-sized, with purple flowers and white beards. It is rarely cultivated as an ornamental plant in

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

regions. It has had a confusing history, once thought as a variety 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 ...

'', then as a separate species with a name shared with another bearded iris. It has only been sorted out since 1996.

Description

It is similar in form to ''Iris germanica''. It is classed as a medium-sized bearded iris, and grows up to between tall. It has a branched stem. Like other irises, it has 2 pairs of petals, 3 large

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 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

(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 very ...

), known as the 'standards'. The flowers come in shades of purple, from red-purple, to blue-purple. In the centre of the falls is a 'beard', or line of white hairs. After the iris has flowered, it produces a seed capsule, that has not been described.

Biochemistry

As most irises are

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. Sets of chromosomes refer to the number of maternal and paternal chromosome copies, respecti ...

, having two sets of

chromosomes A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins are ...

, this can be used to identify hybrids and classification of groupings. It has a chromosome count of 2n=40. It was counted by Colasante & Sauer in 1993 and by Colasante in 1996. It is the same as '' Iris setina'', '' Iris bicapitata'', '' Iris lutescens'' and '' Iris revoluta''.

Taxonomy

The Latin

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''relicta'' refers to a remnant, primitive, left behind and relict. This name was chosen due to the diminishing size of the population of irises found on the mountains in Italy. It was first published and described by Nicola Terracciano (1837–1921) as ''Iris germanica'' var. ''suaveolens'' in 'Atti dell' Accademia delle Scienze Fisiche e' Matematiche (Atti Accad. Sci. Fis.) series 4, (Appendix 2) on page 7 in 1890, as a variety of ''

''. It was then published as ''Iris suaveolens'' by (N. Terracc.) N. Terracc. ex A. Terracc in 'Nuovo Giorn. Bot. Ital.', series. 2, on page182 in 1894. But this name was rejected by other authors and iris authorities as it was already used by another iris species, since 1853. Later it was re-classified as a separate species by Prof. Maretta Colasante in Giornale Botanico Italiano ('Giorn. Bot. Ital.') Vol.123 Supplement 1 on page 112 in 1989, and then called ''Iris relicta'' by Colasante in (Fl. Medit.) Vol.6 page 214 in 1996. Based on specimens found on 'Monte delle Fate' in Lazio, Italy. It was verified by

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

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 ex ...

on 7 April 2003, and the updated on 3 December 2004. It is listed in the

Encyclopedia of Life The ''Encyclopedia of Life'' (''EOL'') is a free, online encyclopedia intended to document all of the 1.9 million living species known to science. It is compiled from existing trusted databases curated by experts and with the assistance of no ...

, and in the

Catalogue of Life The Catalogue of Life is an online database that provides an index of known species of animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms. It was created in 2001 as a partnership between the global Species 2000 and the American Integrated Taxonomic I ...

, it is listed as ''Iris relicta'' and notes that ''Iris germanica var. suaveolens'' is a synonym.

Distribution and habitat

It is

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and enterta ...

to Europe.

Range

It is found in Italy, within the central and southern regions. It is found in the region of

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

on 'Monte della Fate', within the Ausoni Mountains. and near Lago di Fondi. It is listed as endemic of Italy, with '' Iris bicapitata'', 'Iris italica var. cengialti' (a synonym of '' Iris pallida subsp. cengialti''), ''Iris marsica'', ''Iris revoluta'', '' Iris sabina'' and '' Iris setina''.

Habitat

It grows on the rocky mountain-sides with other small shrubs. They can be found at an altitude of above sea level.

Synecology

Part of the Ausoni Mountains are protected by

Wilderness Area Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

, (covering 4,230 hectares and was established in 1999), forests (made of oak,

cork oak ''Quercus suber'', commonly called the cork oak, is a medium-sized, evergreen oak tree in the section ''Quercus'' sect. ''Cerris''. It is the primary source of cork for wine bottle stoppers and other uses, such as cork flooring and as the co ...

and

maple ''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since ht ...

), cover most of the mountain valleys. Under the forest trees are rare and endemic flora, including '' Crocus imperati subsp imperati'', ''

Narcissus poeticus Narcissus may refer to: Biology * ''Narcissus'' (plant), a genus containing daffodils and others People * Narcissus (mythology), Greek mythological character * Narcissus (wrestler) (2nd century), assassin of the Roman emperor Commodus * Tiberiu ...

'', ''

Asphodeline lutea ''Asphodeline lutea'' (king's spear, yellow asphodel) is a perennial plant native to southeastern Europe, northern Africa, the Caucasus and the Levant. It is grown as a landscaping plant. It has been associated with the Asphodel of the underw ...

'' (Asfodelina), '' Daphne oleoides'' (spatula Daphne) and ''Iris relicta''.

Conservation

It is listed as 'very rare', and is protected in the 'Wilderness Area' in Italy.

Cultivation

It is hardy to

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

Zone 7, tolerating dry Mediterranean-like summers.

Propagation

Irises can generally be propagated by

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military * Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

, or by seed growing.

Toxicity

Like many other irises, most parts of the plant are poisonous (rhizome and leaves), and if mistakenly ingested can cause stomach pains and vomiting. Handling the plant may cause skin irritation or an allergic reaction.David G Spoerke and Susan C. Smolinske

References

External links

Images of the iris flowers
from

Image of a violet flower
{{Taxonbar, from=Q17235634 Iris (plant), relicta Plants described in 1989 Garden plants Flora of Europe Flora of Italy