Iris minutoaurea
| Iris minutoaurea | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Iridaceae |
| Subfamily: | Iridoideae |
| Tribe: | Irideae |
| Genus: | Iris |
| Subgenus: | Limniris |
| Series: | Iris series Chinenses |
| Species: | I. minutoaurea |
| Binomial name | |
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Iris minutoaurea Makino |
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| Synonyms | |
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Iris minutoaurea is a beardless iris in the genus Iris, in the subgenus Limniris and in the Chinenses series of the species. It is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial of eastern Asia, native to China and Korea. It has been naturalized in Japan. It has long grassy-like leaves, short stem and bright yellow or pale yellow flowers. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.
Iris minutoaurea can sometimes be mistaken for Iris henryi (another yellow flowering Chinese iris). But they differ is sizes of pedicel (flower stalk) and perianth tube. Iris henryi has a short perianth tube and long pedicel, while with Iris minutoaurea it is the other way around.
It has a yellowish brown, slender, wiry, rhizome, measuring about 2 cm (1 in) long and 0.5 cm (0 in) wide. that produces many branches and stolons. This branching habit forms clumps of plants. In autumn, the roots (under the rhizomes), produce small nodules. These are used to fix nitrogen, from the soil.
It has grassy, linear, ribbed, 5–16 cm (2–6 in) long and 0.2–0.7 cm (0–0 in) wide leaves. They appear in early March, they then elongate after flowering up to 40 cm (16 in) long, reaching a maximum height by June. This elongating leaf habit is also shared by Iris koreana.
It has a very short, slender flowering stem, only 7–10 cm (3–4 in) long. It has one terminal (at the top of the stem) flower, in spring to early summer, in April or May.
It has 2 lanceolate (lance-like) 4–5 cm (2–2 in) long and 0.5–0.1 cm (0–0 in) wide, spathes (leaves of the flower bud), that are acuminate (ending in a point).
The small flowers come in yellow shades. Between bright yellow and pale yellow. The flowers are 2.5–3 cm (1–1 in) in diameter. Which can be compared to the size of a quarter.
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Wikipedia