Iris willmottiana is a species in the genus Iris, in the subgenus Scorpiris. It is a bulbous perennial, from Uzbekistan in central Asia. It has green broad leaves, short stems, large flowers in various shades of blue.
| Iris willmottiana | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Iridaceae |
| Genus: | Iris |
| Subgenus: | Iris subg. Scorpiris |
| Section: | Iris sect. Scorpiris |
| Species: | I. willmottiana
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| Binomial name | |
| Iris willmottiana | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Description edit
Iris willmottiana is very similar in form to that of Iris caucasica. Sharing similar size, shape, leaf margin but having smaller flowers.[2]
It has thickened roots,[3] and it has broad leaves that are glossy lustrous green, that appear in May.[4][3][5] The leaves also have a thin white margin on the edges.[2]
It generally grows to a height of between 15–25 cm (6–10 in) tall,[4] in late spring or early summer.[3]
It has between 2 - 6 flowers on a short stem.[6]
The large flowers (about 6–7 cm in diameter),[3] come in various shades of blue, from intense cobalt blue,[7] pale lavender-blue,[5] pale purple,[3] to light purple.[8] The flowers are also blotched with white,[8] and flecked with deep lavender-purple.[3] The falls have a large white area and white crest or central ridge with purple marks.[5] The standards are about 1.5 cm long.[8]
Taxonomy edit
It was collected from Bokhara in Eastern Turkestan in 1899, by a plant collector on behalf of the Van Tubergen nurseries in Haarlem, the Netherlands.[9] It was then sent to Michael Foster[2] who then first published and described it in the 'Gardeners Chronicle' of London' in 1901.[10]
He named it after Ellen Willmott, a renowned gardener. It is one of 60 or so plants named after her.[4] Mr Foster chose Mrs Willmott due to her interest in irises.[2]
It was later illustrated in colour in Curtis's Botanical Magazine, plate number 8340, in 1912.[2]
Iris willmottiana is now an accepted name by the RHS,[11] and was verified by United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service on 3 October 2014.[12]
Native edit
Iris willmottiana is from Central Asia and (the former Russian state),[6] of Kazakhstan.[4][8] or Uzbekistan.[12] It grows wild in the stony foothills of the Pamir mountain range,[4] at around 2900m above sea level.[5] It has been found in the Aksu Zhabagli,[5][13] and Karatau Mountains, in Kazakhstan.[7]
Cultivation edit
It is hardy to USDA Zone 3.[8]
Although the plant is quite hardy, in the UK, it is better cultivated in a bulb frame.[4] or Alpine house, but has been grown outside.[3]
It prefers to grow in sandy loam,[14] with good drainage and in full sun.[7]
Iris willmottiana, Iris willmottiana 'Alba' and Iris warleyensis (named after Miss Willmotts garden in Essex), are all easier to find in the US than in England.[15]
The plant listed as Iris willmottiana 'Alba', is now thought to be a white form of Iris bucharica.[8][3]
It can produce hybrids very easy with Iris magnifica and Iris graeberiana.[14]
References edit
- ^ "Iris willmottiana Foster". theplantlist.org. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ^ a b c d e "(SPEC) Iris willmottiana Fos". wiki.irises.org (American Iris Society). 20 April 2010. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Iris willmottiana". encyclopaedia.alpinegardensociety.net. 2001. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f "IRIS FLEUR-DE-LYS Iridaceae (Iris family)". www.hillkeep.ca. 12 May 2008. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ^ a b c d e "Juno irises S-Z". pacificbulbsociety.org. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ^ a b Cassidy, G.E.; Linnegar, S. (1987). Growing Irises (Revised ed.). Bromley: Christopher Helm. p. 146. ISBN 0-88192-089-4.
- ^ a b c "Iris willmottiana". rareplants.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 November 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey (Editors) The European Garden Flora Flowering Plants: A Manual for the Identification, p. 259, at Google Books
- ^ Audrey Le Lièvre Miss Willmott of Warley Place: Her Life and Her Gardens at Google Books
- ^ "Iris". ipni.org (International Plant Names Index). p. 143. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ^ "Iris willmottiana". www.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ^ a b "Iris willmottiana". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
- ^ "Celestial Silk Road 5th-21st June 2016". viranatura.com. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
- ^ a b "Great Lakes Chapter, North American Rock Garden Society Fall Newsletter" (PDF). glcnargs.com. September 2006. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
- ^ Greer, Germaine (19 April 2003). "Country Notebook: Ellen Willmott". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
Other sources edit
- British Iris Society, 1997, A Guide to Species Irises: Their Identification and Cultivation, page 275
- Mathew, B. 1981. The Iris. 143.
External links edit
Data related to Iris willmottiana at Wikispecies