''Iris graeberiana'' is a species in the genus ''

Iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants * Iris (color), an ambiguous color term Iris or IRIS may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional ent ...

'', in the subgenus of ''Scorpiris''. It is a

bulbous In botany, a bulb is structurally a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs durin ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...

Description

In late spring, (or April), it has between 4–6 flowers per stem and reaches a maximum height of tall. It has pale silvery mauve flowers. It also comes in blueish-lavender, or blue-violet shades. The flowers are wide with a wavy, white crest on each fall. Which is surrounded by a pale, boldly veined zone. The white margined leaves, have glossy mid-green tops, but with greyish green bottoms, which are scattered along the stem. The leaves grow to approximately tall at flowering time, then they extend to twice this. They are between wide.

Taxonomy

It was named after Paul Graeber (a plant collector who also collected '' Iris hoogiana'' and ''

Tulipa Tulips (''Tulipa'') are a genus of spring-blooming perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes (having bulbs as storage organs). The flowers are usually large, showy and brightly coloured, generally red, pink, yellow, or white (usually in war ...

ostrowskiana'' for the Dutch Van Tubergen company). It was first published in

Botanical Magazine ''The Botanical Magazine; or Flower-Garden Displayed'', is an illustrated publication which began in 1787. The longest running botanical magazine, it is widely referred to by the subsequent name ''Curtis's Botanical Magazine''. Each of the issue ...

Vol.167 on table 126 by Sealy in 1950. ''Iris graeberiana'' is an accepted name by the RHS, and the iris is recognized by the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

and the Agricultural Research Service, since 2003.

Distribution and habitat

It is native to

Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...

, and

Turkestan Turkestan, also spelled Turkistan ( fa, ترکستان, Torkestân, lit=Land of the Turks), is a historical region in Central Asia corresponding to the regions of Transoxiana and Xinjiang. Overview Known as Turan to the Persians, western Turk ...

(parts of the former republic of USSR) in Central Asia.

Cultivation

It is known as one of the more vigorous species, therefore is easier to grow the others in the subgenus. It is also hardy to

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

Zone 5–8. They are best grown in well-drained soils in open, stony places or an

Alpine house A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse, or, if with sufficient heating, a hothouse) is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic conditions are grown.These s ...

, but some growers recommend outside culture, if sheltered from heavy summer rains. The plant attracts birds and butterflies. It can be seen growing in ''Le Grand Clos'' botanical garden in

Bourgueil Bourgueil () is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France. Population Bourgueil wine Bourgueil is an ''appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC) for wine in the Loire Valley region, and produces primarily red wine from th ...

, France.

Known hybrids

*''Iris graeberiana'' 'White fall', It is thought to have been bred by crossing ''Iris graeberiana'' with '' Iris magnifica''. *''Iris graeberiana'' 'Yellow fall', *''Iris graeberiana'' 'Dark Form' ; a more hardy plant but with smaller darker flowers. It is similar to '' Iris zenaidae'' but with smaller flowers.

References

Other sources

* S. K. Czerepanov, 1995. Vascular plants of Russia and adjacent states (the former USSR) Cambridge University Press. (note: listed as ''Iris graberana'' Sealy) * Walter Erhardt, Erich Götz, Nils Bödeker, Siegmund Seybold: Der große Zander. Eugen Ulmer KG, Stuttgart 2008, . (Ger.) * Brian Mathew, 1981. Iris, * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q15570485 graeberiana Plants described in 1853 Flora of Tajikistan Flora of Central Asia