Iris wattii
| Iris wattii | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Iris wattii flower head | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Iridaceae |
| Subfamily: | Iridoideae |
| Tribe: | Irideae |
| Genus: | Iris |
| Subgenus: | Limniris |
| Section: | Lophiris |
| Species: | Iris wattii |
| Binomial name | |
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Iris wattii Baker and Hook.f. |
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| Synonyms | |
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None known |
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None known
Iris wattii is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus of Limniris and the Lophiris section (crested irises). It is a rhizomatous perennial plant. It is native to China, Burma and India, it has lavender or light blue flowers. It is also known as 'Bamboo Iris' (although confusingly, so is Iris confusa). It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.
This species has rhizomes that are between 0.7mm and 1.5 cm in diameter. They are also faintly light green in colour, and have distinct nodes. On top of the rhizome is scars and the remains of last seasons leaves. The rhizomes spread outward into clumps of plants.
It has 10 or more leaves that are grouped together as a fan-shape. The sword-shaped, and yellowish-green, leaves can grow up to between 30–90 cm (12–35 in) tall and 3.5–7.5 cm (1–3 in) wide. The leaves have 10 veins or ribs. The leaves are evergreen in mild areas. The foliage is larger than Iris confusa.
Iris wattii is the tallest species of all the crested irises.
It has fattened, 'bamboo-like' stems, that has grown up to between 50–100 cm (20–39 in) tall and 1-1.5 cm wide. Although, some sources claim it can grow up to 200 cm (79 in) tall. It has 5-7 short, stout branches. The pedicels are 1.5--3 cm long.
The plant can grow very quickly, forming new growths from April or May.
The stems have 3-5 spathes (leaves of the flower bud), which are thin, green and narrowly ovate. They are 1.5-2.5 cm long and 1 cm wide.
The stems (and the many branches) hold between 2 and 10 flowers, 2-3 flowers per branch, in spring, or between spring-summer, between April and May. In Australia, it flowers earlier in the year, beginning in early winter and to late spring. The plants can have up to 50 flowers over a period of 8 to 10 weeks.
The flowers are 7.5–8 cm (3–3 in) in diameter, and come in shades of light blue, lavender-blue, powder blue, lilac-blue bluish violet. They are larger than Iris confusa, and Iris japonica, who has similarly coloured flowers.
It has 2 pairs of petals, 3 large sepals (outer petals), known as the 'falls' and 3 inner, smaller petals (or tepals, known as the 'standards'. The falls are drooping, obovate, or obovate-spathulate (spoon-like). They are 4.5–6 cm (2–2 in) cm long and 2.4–4 cm wide. They have a central whitish crest area, which is spotted with darker lilac and a deep yellow, or orange-yellow. The edges of the petal are wavy, frilled or ruffled. The standards are narrowly obovate, 3.5–4 cm (1–2 in) cm long and 1-1.3 cm wide. It also has edges that are wavy, frilled or ruffled.
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Wikipedia