Iris (Rodionenko, 2009)

Crespo, Manuel B., Martínez-Azorín, Mario & Mavrodiev, Evgeny V., 2015, Can a rainbow consist of a single colour? A new comprehensive generic arrangement of the ‘ Iris sensu latissimo’ clade (Iridaceae), congruent with morphology and molecular data, Phytotaxa 232 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

1. Iris L., Sp. Pl.: 38 (1753). Type (lectotype designated by Hitchcock in Hitchcock & Green 1929: 118):— Iris germanica L .

Description:—Rhizomatous herbs, with perennial or deciduous aerial structures. Rhizome stout, branched, usually nodose-annulate; roots fibrous, ± thickened. Stems aerial, simple or ramose in the upper part, usually solid, rounded in cross section. Leaves isobilateral, linear to ensiform, without prominent ribs, not fetid. Flowers solitary or in small lateral clusters, terminal on branches, pedicellate to subsessile. Spathe valves 2, membranous or herbaceous with scarious margin and apex at anthesis, not or weakly keeled. Perigone in 2 rows, not much differing in size and shape (sometimes the inner larger), fused in a long tube, widened at the apex; falls erect-patent, obovate-cuneate to oblanceolate, strongly patent towards apex, gradually tapering into a short claw, with dense, central, ± coloured, multiseriate beard of clavate, multicellular hairs; standards erect, obovate-cuneate to oblanceolate, smooth or bearded, narrowed into a canaliculate haft. Stamen filaments free, adnate to the fall bases. Ovary trilocular, with axile placentation. Style filiform, with 3 petaloid branches, about half longer than falls, each one concealing a stamen; crests short, incurved, broadly triangular to subquadrate; stigma entire to weakly emarginate or denticulate. Capsule oblong-ovoid to lanceolate-ovoid, trigonous to trilobed, sometimes with 6 prominent ribs, usually dehiscent below the apex through three clefts, not hidden into spathes, pointed or sometimes shortly beaked; pericarp coriaceous. Seeds numerous, globose, pyriform to subcubic, ± apiculate, with or without aril or whitish raphe; testa surface irregularly wrinkled to reticulate-wrinkled. p = 8, 10, 11, 12. Figs. 3A , 6Q–R , 8A , 10 .

It includes over 110 species, occurring in most Eurasia, excepting the northernmost areas, and northern Africa. The highest diversity is found from Turkey and Caucasus to northeastern China and Siberia ( Figs. 11–12 ).

A NEW GENERIC ARRANGEMENT OF IRIS SENSU LATISSIMO

Figures

FIGURE 3. Flower morphology: falls, standards and stylar branches in most cases, sometimes with spathe bracts. A) Siphonostylis lazica (photo: Ken Walker); B) Gattenhofia verna (photo: Jim McCormac); C) Pardanthopsis dichotoma (photo: Christy Hensler); D) Belamcanda chinensis, with all tepals subequal and also with fruits (photo: Tom Murphy); E) Iris germanica (photo: Ken Walker); F) Iris acutiloba (photo: Aleksandr Ivanov); G) Iris tigridia (photo: Vladimir Y. Arkhipov); H) Iris bloudowii (photo: Vesa Muurinen); I) Juno planifolia (photo: Mario Martínez-Azorín); J) Evansia japonica (photo: Ken Walker); K) Tectiris tectorum (photo: Ken Walker); L) Junopsis decora (photo: Ken Walker).

FIGURE 6. Carpology. A) Belamcanda chinensis, seeds black, long persistent on the central axis of fruit (photo: Stanislav Doronenko); B) Pardanthopsis dichotoma, seeds shortly winged (photo: Ken Walker); C) Gattenhofia verna var. smalliana, seeds with fleshy raphe and ribbed surface (photo: Ken Walker); D) Tectiris tectorum, seeds glossy, pyriform, apiculate, with inconspicuous aril (photo: Ken Walker); E) Evansia wattii, seeds matte, angulose, with small aril (photo: Dennis Kramb); F) Chamaeiris foetidissima, seeds reddish, persistent on valves of the opened fruit (photo: Ken Walker); G) Chamaeiris halophila, seeds with papery, loose testa (photo: David Pilling); H) Hermodactylus tuberosus, seeds globose with gelatinous aril (photo: Ken Walker); I) Lophiris cristata, seeds with long coiled appendage (photo: Jan Sacks); J) Zhaoanthus speculatrix, seeds with aril withering early as a wing (photo: Ken Walker); K) Phaeiris giganticaerulea, seeds large, flattened, with thickened, corky testa (photo: Robert R. Pries); L) Joniris uniflora, seeds with fleshy raphe vanishing on drying (photo: Robert R. Pries); M) Limniris sibirica, seeds discoidal, without aril, with subcorky testa (photo: Ken Walker); N) Rodionenkoa gracilipes, seeds with fleshy raphe and testa surface pitted (photo: Robert R. Pries); O) Junopsis collettii, seeds oblong with conspicuous whitish aril (photo: Ken Walker); P) Zhaoanthus koreanus, seeds globosecompressed, with fleshy raphe withering early as a wing (photo: Robert R. Pries); Q) Iris hoogiana, seeds with prominent aril and testa surface reticulate-wrinkled (photo: Robert R. Pries); R) Iris pumila, seeds without aril and testa surface reticulate-wrinkled (photo: Steve Hurst); S) Juno bucharica, seeds apiculate with fleshy appendage (photo: Ken Walker); T) Siphonostylis lazica, seeds angulose with testa surface covered with sessile glands (photo: Ken Walker). Scale bars in mm.

FIGURE 8. Approximate distribution areas: A) Siphonostylis (yellow); B) Gattenhofia (red).

FIGURE 10. Habit and floral details in habitat. A) Iris (Iris) lutescens (photo: Mario Martínez-Azorín); B) Iris (Psammiris) humilis (photo: Peter Bohnert); C) Iris (Oncocyclus) helena (photo: Ruslan Mishustin); D) Iris (Regelia) korolkowii (photo: Rafael Díez Domínguez); E) Iris (Pseudoregelia) dolichosiphon (photo: Rafael Díez Domínguez).

FIGURE 11. Approximate distribution area of Iris sect. Iris.

FIGURE 12. Approximate distribution areas: A) Iris sect. Psammiris (yellow); B) I. sect. Oncocyclus (red); C) I. sect. Regelia (blue); D) I. sect. Pseudoregelia (violet).