Iris albomarginata

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Monocots
Ordo: Asparagales

Familia: Iridaceae
Subfamilia: Iridoideae
Tribus: Irideae
Genus: Iris
Subgenus: I. subg. Scorpiris
Species: Iris albomarginata
Name

Iris albomarginata R.C.Foster
References

Contributions from the Gray Herbarium of Harvard University. Cambridge, MA 114:42. 1936 "albo-marginata"
USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. [1]

Iris albomarginata is a species in the genus Iris, in the subgenus Scorpiris. It is a bulbous perennial, from the mountains in the former Russian states of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

Description

It has bright blue flowers with a white crest. It sometimes has yellow marks on the crest.[2] The falls area white with a yellow centre.[3]

It has 2-5 flowers on a short stem.[4]

It flowers in March–April.[2]

It has smooth dark green leaves between 1 and 2 cm wide[2] and the plant reaches 30 cm (1 ft) in height.[4] It also has a bright white edging to all the leaves.[5] The stem is just visible behind the leaves.[3]
Taxonomy

It was first described by (Russian botanist Boris Fedtschenko) in Bulletin de l'Herbier Boissier, page 917 in 1904. But it was called Iris coerulea. When Foster was working on irises, he found that Iris coerulea was used to name an Iris pumila hybrid. He then renamed the iris as Iris albomarginata because the leaves of the iris had a white edging. This edging was a characteristic of several of the species in the Scorpiris subgenus section of irises.[5]

It was then re-published as Iris albomarginata in 'Contributions from the Gray Herbarium' of Harvard University in 1936.[6]

Iris albomarginata is an accepted name by the RHS.[7]
Native

Found in Central Asia (within the Tien Shan and Fergana mountains)[2] and the Alayskiy in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.[3] It is found on the clay and stone foothills at 2000m above sea level.[2]
Cultivation

It is hardy to USDA Zone: 4.[3] In the UK, it is better grown in an Alpine house or bulb frame.[2]

Several specimens can be found in Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.[8]
Propagation

Irises can generally be propagated by division,[9] or by seed growing.
Toxicity

Like many other irises, most parts of the plant are poisonous (rhizome and leaves), if mistakenly ingested can cause stomach pains and vomiting. Also handling the plant may cause a skin irritation or an allergic reaction.[10]
References

"Iris albomarginata R.C.Foster". www.theplantlist.org. 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
British Iris Society A Guide to Species Irises: Their Identification and Cultivation , p. 228, at Google Books
Walters, Stuart Max (Editor) European Garden Flora: A Manual for the Identification of Plants Cultivated, p. 353, at Google Books
Cassidy, G.E.; Linnegar, S. (1987). Growing Irises (Revised ed.). Bromley: Christopher Helm. p. 146. ISBN 0-88192-089-4.
"(SPEC) Iris albomarginata R. C. Foster". wiki.irises.org (American Iris Society). Retrieved 11 August 2014.
"Iris albomarginata". apps.kew.org. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
"Iris albomarginata". www.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
"Living Specimen of Iris albomarginata R.C.Foster recorded on 08-Aug-1996". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
"How to divide iris rhizomes". gardenersworld.com. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
David G. Spoerke and Susan C. Smolinske Toxicity of Houseplants, p. 236, at Google Books