Fwd: PBS website contact:Iris sicula Tod
Peter Taggart (Thu, 27 Sep 2012 14:54:49 PDT)

according to Clive Innes, The world of Iridaceae, page 221 Iris pallida
var sicula (Baker)
and on page 152 listed synonyms for Gynandriris sisyrinchium include "Iris
sisyrinchium L. Xiphion sisyrinchium Bak. Iris maculata Tod. Iris sicula
Tod. Moraea sicula Tod. G. sicula Tod. Iris pallida Lam. var sicula (Tod.)
Bak. Iris todaroana Cif. & Giac. ...."
A Guide to species Iris lists Iris sicula Tod. as a synonym for Iris
pallida.
Brian Mathew in The Iris states that Iris sicula is "either a synonym of I
pallida or possibly a hybrid between I pallida and I germanica."

To go back to Clive Inness, The book has a number of mistakes, but is
useful because it brings so many names together.
Iris sicula Tod. was published in 1858 -
http://books.google.co.uk/books/…
and describes a handsome form of Iris pallida from Italy.

Morea sicula Tod. was published in 1887, synonym Gynandiris (and Iris)
sisyrinchium, also synonym *Iris** todaroana* Cif. & Giacom. ex S.Pignatti,
Giorn. Bot. Ital. 113: 367 (1979 publ.
1980).<http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do/…>
which describes a small flowerd form of Moraea sisyrichium.

so yes Iris sicula is a form of I pallida, and Moraea sicula is a different
plant

Peter (UK)

On Thu, Sep 27, 2012 at 7:18 PM, David Ehrlich <idavide@sbcglobal.net>wrote: