Beardless iris for identification

[DaveM]

This lovely iris was grown from Club seed a while ago, listed as Iris cuniculiformis, which it most certainly isn't. The overall height of the main group is about 45 cm. The taller ones with the flowers that have gone over are much darker than the main group and have yellow markings on the falls. Any thoughts welcome on the true ID of this, please. My own thought is Iris bulleyana x chrysographes?

[arilnut]

Looking at the SIGNA database Iris bulleyana is possible. The other choice
might be Iris sanguinea.
http://signa.org/index.pl?Iris-sanguinea                   http://signa.org/index.pl?Iris-bulleyana

John B

[johnralphcarpenter]

This is Iris sanguinea.

[Jupiter]

Another one for the wants list. What a beauty! Thanks for sharing.

[Lesley Cox]

Iris sanguinea has more erect standards. Bulleyana is most likely and that itself is possibly (probably?) of hybrid origin, but a natural hybrid rather than man-made. It does vary from seed and has the somewhat spreading standards illustrated above.

I'm not sure of the natural distribution of I. cuniculiformis but possible in the same area as bulleyana because some years ago, seed was distributed from a collection (ACE maybe?) as I. cuniculiformis and I and many others grew this but it turned out to be bulleyana. That is likely where yours originated Dave. Whatever, yours is a lovely iris and like all the Sibiricae, makes a superb garden clump. Jamie, try joining the NZ Iris Soc or the Australian, or SIGNA in the USA for excellent seed of a great many species. There are often a few surprises among the babies but always much pleasure and enjoyment too.

[DaveM]

Thanks. For me Iris sanguinea doesn't fit too well. Interesting Lesley to read your thoughts on this. Certainly I cuniculiformis and I bulleyana come from the same area in SW China. Grey-Wilson & Cribb in their guide to the Flowers of Western China describe Iris bulleyana as having white patches on the falls, rather than the yellow of my plants. A second flower on one of the taller stems has opened today- see below. To me this has more the look of Iris chrysographes which also occurs in this area of Yunnan. This species has the golden yellow on the falls and is known to hybridise with bulleyana. Hence my reason for thinking that my plants are of the natural hybrid. You may be right about the origin of bulleyana. It does as you say Lesley make a good garden clump. However, I did plant 3 or 5 (can't remember) seedlings close together.

[Lesley Cox]

I'd agree Dave that your new image suggests chrysogrphes though seedlings (hybrids) from that species usually (not always) have some fine veining at the hafts, usually gold on the dark ground colour but the shape is definitely right for chrysographes. Bulleyana, in my experience has yellow rather than white on the falls, from its (putative) other parent, I. forrestii, assuming, as Mathew says, it is likely to be of hybrid origin. Since they all come from the same region, there could well be seedlings from all species derive from a single pod of seed. I remember once years ago, I grew the seed from a single head of Celmisia lyallii, collected in the wild. C. lyallii has stiff, upright leaves but the seedlings were of at least 6 different forms with two of the smaller, oval, silver leaved species evident as was C. viscosa and even C. sessiliflora. As well there were a few which were straight lyallii. It must have been a really windy day, the day that head was pollinated. All the pollen parents were growing in the immediate area.