''Iris zenaidae'' 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 ...

'', it is also in the subgenus ''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 ...

from Central Asia. It has deep violet-blue or cobalt blue flowers.

Description

''Iris zenaidae'' is similar in form to '' Iris magnifica'',British Iris Society but with different darker blue coloured flowers. It has generally 2-3 flowers per stem. The flowers can range from deep violet-blue, to cobalt blue. It has a white or violet crest, which can be spotted or striped (with blue-violet). The hafts of the falls are deep blue.

Taxonomy

''Iris zenaidae'' was first found by Alexei Vvedenski and he named the iris (''Juno zenaidae'') after Zinaida Petronava Botschantzeva (a botanist from

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

), he then published the iris in 'Opred. Rast. Sred. Azii' 2: 322 1971. Dr. Zinaida later returned the favour and named '' Tulipa vvedenskyi'' after him, in 1954. It was then thought, by several botanists including Tony Hall (from Kew Gardens) that it was a violet-blue form of ''

Iris graeberiana ''Iris graeberiana'' is a species in the genus ''Iris'', in the subgenus of ''Scorpiris''. It is a bulbous perennial. Description In late spring, (or April), it has between 4–6 flowers per stem and reaches a maximum height of tall. It ha ...

''. It was then listed as synonym of ''Iris graeberiana''. In 2012, botanists F.O. Khass and Rakhimova carried out more research on the iris and others, they then re-published the iris as ''Iris zenaidae'' as a species in its own right. On 21 December 2012, it was published in 'Stapfia' (Publikation der Botanischen Arbeitsgemeinschaft am O. Ö. Landesmuseum) 97: 178. ''Iris zenaidae'' is now an accepted name by the RHS.

Native

''Iris zenaidae'' was originally found in the River Kugart valley, of the

Fergana Fergana ( uz-Latn-Cyrl, Fargʻona, Фарғона, ), () or Ferghana, also Farghana is a district-level city and the capital of Fergana Region in eastern Uzbekistan. Fergana is about 320 km east of Tashkent, about 75 km southwest of A ...

region of the

Tien Shan Mountains The Tian Shan, also known as the Tengri Tagh or Tengir-Too, meaning the "Mountains of God/Heaven", is a large system of mountain ranges in Central Asia. The highest peak is Jengish Chokusu at high and located in Kyrgyzstan. Its lowest point is ...

in Central Asia. In 2012, it was found in

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

. It likes rocky soils and habitats.

Known hybrids

It hybridises very readily with other Juno irises in the subgenus. * ''Iris zenaidae'' 'Dessert' * ''Iris zenaidae'' 'Flagship'

Cultivation

It is

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. It prefers to be cultivated in full sun, and stoney well drained soils, but feed with plenty of water during the spring. It can be seen in

Denver Botanic Gardens The Denver Botanic Gardens is a public botanical garden located in the Cheesman Park neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. The park contains a conservatory, a variety of theme gardens and a sunken amphitheater, which hosts various concerts in the ...

References

External links

Has image of ''Iris zenaidae'' - at the bottom of the page
{{Taxonbar, from=Q189455 zenaidae Plants described in 1971 Flora of Central Asia Flora of Kyrgyzstan