Iris miscellany
James Waddick (Mon, 19 May 2003 21:30:23 PDT)

Dear all'
Just to sort out Mark's Iris miscellany. He mentions a number
of choice species that fit under a variety of divisions in the genus
Iris.

The Oncocyclus, I sari, is a section of the subgenus that
includes all bearded iris, subgenus Iris. Likewise the I. lutescens
in the same subgenus is in a different section, Iris.

A very different subgenus, Limniris, includes both the
section Lophiris for all the crested species including the native
Iris cristata. This species can be extremely variable in the wild and
numerous color selections and forms have been made-all very lovely.

The section Limniris also include a wide range of 'beardless'
irises including 16 distinct series. One of these is the series
Chinenses which had been poorly represented in cultivation until the
past few years. The most common species is the very small, I.
minutoaurea, but it is now possible to purchase I. koreana, I
odaesanensis, I rossii and others. Also in cultivation but not yet
commercial is the smaller still I henryi and the larger I
speculatrix. A varied and fascinating lot.

Mark's mention of Iris cycloglossa points up yet another
subgenus Scorpiris, a true bulbous group normally called the Junos.

Here's a brief chart to put these in perspective:

Genus Iris
Subgenus Iris (Bearded iris)
Section Iris I lutescens
Section Oncocyclus I. sari

Subgenus Limniris (Beardless iris)
Section Lophiris (Crested Iris incuding I tectorum)
I. cristata

Section Limniris (Beardless Iris)
Series Chinenses I. koreana
I. odaesanensis

Other series include the Louisiana, Siberian, Pacific coast
natives and many more

Subgenus Scorpis (Junos) I. cycloglossa
I. wilmottiana alba

Confused yet? Knowing who's who helps to get a better guess
on how to grow these very distinct species. Thanks for the pictures.

Jim W.
--
Dr. James W. Waddick
8871 NW Brostrom Rd.
Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711
USA
Ph. 816-746-1949
E-fax 419-781-8594

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