Iris bucharica

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Iris bucharica
Iris bucharica, Dresden Botanic Garden
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Iridaceae
Genus: Iris
Subgenus: Iris subg. Scorpiris
Section: Iris sect. Scorpiris
Species:
I. bucharica
Binomial name
Iris bucharica
Synonyms[1]

Juno bucharica (Foster) Vved.

Iris bucharica (also Bukhara iris, corn leaf iris and horned iris) is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae. It is a bulbous herbaceous perennial, from temperate Asia, within Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It has long blue green leaves, many flowers in spring, in shades of yellow and white.

Biochemistry

Iris bucharica has a yellowish white bulb, about 2 cm in diameter,[2] with thin fleshy roots.[3] It grows 20–40 cm (7.9–15.7 in) high.[4][5]

The lanceolate (lance-like) leaves which are blue-green below and glossy green above, reach up to 3.5 cm (1.4 in) wide and 20 cm (7.9 in) long. They are scattered up the flower stems.

Each stem produces up to seven unscented flowers in spring. They bloom in order from the top of the stem, going downwards. The perianth tube is about 4.5–5 cm (1.8–2.0 in) long. Like other irises, it has 2 pairs of petals, 3 large sepals (outer petals), known as the 'falls' and 3 inner, smaller petals (or tepals), known as the 'standards'.[6] The flowers have white or creamy white standards with yellow falls. The falls sometimes have brown markings and a deep yellow crest. The flowers are about 2.5 in (6.4 cm) across. Pure yellow forms are occasionally wrongly labelled as I. orchioides (a different species).[7] The stigmas are semicircular, with whitish anthers and pollen.

Iris bucharica, Iris orchioides and Iris warleyensis all have cubiform seeds.[8]

Most irises are diploid, having two sets of chromosomes. This can be used to identify hybrids and classification of groupings.[6]

Taxonomy

It is commonly known as 'Bukhara iris',[9] 'corn leaf Iris',[10][11][12] or 'horned iris'.[13][14][15]

It is pronounced 'bukh-AR-ee-kuh'[16] and named after the city of Bukhara in Uzbekistan.[17][18]

Iris bucharica was illustrated in Curtis's Botanical Magazine, Tab. 7111 on 1 April 1890, and was incorrectly described by Baker as a specimen of Iris orchioides.[19] It was then published as Iris bucharica in The Gardeners' Chronicle by Foster in 1902.[20] Michael Foster got the bulbs from the UK bulb merchant Van Tubergen (mainly based in Harlem, Netherlands). It was also published in “Flora and Sylva” in 1905. It was then introduced into the UK in 1902.[21]

It was verified by United States Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service on 4 April 2003, then updated on 1 December 2004.[9]

Distribution and habitat

Cultivation

References

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