Iris potaninii Maximovicz (1880: 528)

Alexeeva, Nina B., 2018, A taxonomic revision of Iris section Psammiris (Iridaceae) in Russia, Phytotaxa 340 (3), pp. 201-216 : 211

6. Iris potaninii Maximovicz (1880: 528) .

Lectotype (designated by Alexeeva 2012: 417):— RUSSIA. Dahuria : 1830, Turcz. (LE 01010785!) ( Fig. 8 , both fragments on the lower part of the voucher).

= I. flavissima β rupestris Bunge (1829: 60) .

Lectotype (designated here):— RUSSIA. Altai: Hb. Meyer, I. potaninii , Nº 45, Altai. Iris flavissima β Bge. An species nova? (LE 01025692!) ( Fig. 9 ).

Description: – Rhizome very short, forming dense clumps. Leaves 15 × 0.3–0.5 cm, pale green with the bases of leaves in bunches. Flower scape up to 15 cm in height with the base surrounded by the fibrous remnants of many old leaves. Bracts membranous. Flowers pale sulphur-yellow with a few purple veins on the falls. Perianth tube longer than the ovary. Capsule oval with an elongated tip; seeds 3.5 × 2.6 mm, oval, brownish-red.

Phenology:—Flowering in late April-early May; fruiting in June.

Distribution: —It is widely distributed in Siberia (Altai and Transbaikal area), but represented by relatively small populations. Abroad Russia, it occurs in China and Mongolia.

Habit and ecology:— Iris potaninii grows on steppe gravelly and rocky slopes of mountains and foothills, reaches elevations up to 2500 m a.s.l.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Lectotype of Iris potaninii (LE 01010785, both fragments on the lower part of the voucher).

FIGURE 9. Lectotype (designated here) of Iris flavissima β rupestris (LE 01025692).