Iris, non-bearded, 2014

[Lesley Cox]

Hopefully, here it is. It would be good to have some more foliage and an idea of size but perhaps the flower is enough to say "yea" or "nay" as to whether it is cuniculiformis.

[Maggi Young]

no pic but is this any help?     From the American Iris Society:


Iris cuniculiformis Noltie & Guan (Henry Noltie & K.Y. Guan, 1995, NW Yunnan); Section Pseudoregelia; Height 6-11"(14-27 cm); Lilac to pinkish violet flowers, 6-7 cm diameter, with white area around beard containing several dark purple spots; standards lighter, unmarked; white beard tipped yellow or grey, arising from ridge-like crest. Described in The New Plantsman, p. 131-132, Sept. 1995. syn. Iris goniocarpa var. grossa Zhao.


 From e-floras
56. Iris cuniculiformis Noltie & K. Y. Guan in Noltie, New Plantsman. 2: 131. 1995.

大锐果鸢尾 da rui guo yuan wei

Description from Flora of China

Iris goniocarpa Baker var. grossa Y. T. Zhao.

Plants clump-forming. Rhizomes erect, very short. Leaves dull green, linear, 13.5--30 cm × 2--9 mm, midvein obscure, apex slightly curved, abruptly contracted, minutely acute. Flowering stems 14--30 cm, base with 2 or more leaflike bracts; spathes 2, purplish brown basally, green distally, elliptic, 3--5 cm, 1-flowered, apex recurved, subacute to acute, membranous. Flowers lilac to pinkish violet, 6--7 cm in diam. Perianth tube 1--2 cm, stout; outer segments with deep purple mottling on whitish area around beard, 4.3--5.5 × 1.9--2.3 cm, limb oblong, beard of white-based, yellow-tipped hairs, apex truncate; inner segments erect, 3--4 × 1--1.2 cm, limb oblong, apex retuse or truncate. Anthers cream, 1--1.4 cm. Style branches 2.8--3.3 cm. Fl. May--Jul, fr. Jun--Aug.

* Grassy plateaus; 3100--4000 m. Sichuan, Yunnan.

[Maggi Young]

Turns out Ron McBeath was one of the team who collected this holotype  for  the RBGE  in 1993 - you can download a copy of that holotype sheet, or just study it online,  here : http://elmer.rbge.org.uk/bgbase/vherb/bgbasevherb.php?cfg=bgbase/vherb/zoom.cfg&filename=E00003182.zip&queryRow=1

Kunming, Edinburgh, Gothenburg Expedition (1993), #1205
Collection date  1993/6/12

Looks to be a dainty thing - and the sheet shows the rhizome, which might be a good help with the ID ?

[Maggi Young]

Harry Jans has a photo from the wild  in 2011 which seems likely to be accurate: http://www.jansalpines.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=29081

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks so much Maggi. Your posts are very helpful indeed and I think show clearly that the picture I posted is NOT cuniculiformis. I'll pass this information along to my contact.

[johnstephen29]

Here is another water iris that has come into flower, sorry I don't know what variety it is as the label was lost long ago. Also in flower is Iris foetidissima a british native, it has common names such as Gladwyn Iris and Stinking Iris. I'm hoping i'll get some berries for some winter colour later.

[Lesley Cox]

John, for some reason I am unable to enlarge your pictures by clicking on them but from the very small size, I think the first, pink one may be Iris ensata 'Rose Queen.' It has a lovely form, slightly drooping though not limply, if you see what I mean. It's one of my favourites. I have recently come to like all of the ensatas but the big, blousey, six petalled or double forms, less than the simpler elegance of 'Rose Queen.'

[johnstephen29]

Thanks Lesley when you mentiond snow queen something clicked, I'll get a new label wrote up straight away. I took the photo with my iPhone, maybe I should try with my ipad see if that takes a better photo. These water iris make really great plants, to be honest I'm a bit iris mad, I have them all over the garden.

[Maggi Young]

I think John's photos are not enlarging because they are a .png file which is showing full size already.

[fermi de Sousa]

Unfortunately we aren't the only ones to enjoy the white winter iris - the slugs have been out in force this winter
cheers
fermi

[Maggi Young]

Can't believe that you are having the same infestation of slugs and snails 12 thousand miles away as we are here  - I though last year was bad but this is MUCH worse!

That Iris is still beautiful - the purest white contrasted with the sharp yellow - just lovely.

[Lesley Cox]

Is this a white unguicularis Fermi?

[fermi de Sousa]

Is this a white unguicularis Fermi?

Hi Lesley,
I called it the "white winter iris" in the text but labelled the pic as Iris unguicularis Alba,
cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

So you did Fermi, I think I need new glasses!

[johnstephen29]

Here is another picture of Iris Ensata Rose Queen, it is looking really great at the moment.