''Iris ensata'', the Japanese iris or Japanese water iris (
Japanese: ''hanashōbu''), formerly ''I. kaempferi'', is a species of
flowering plant in the family Iridaceae, native to
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
,
Korea and
Russia, and widely cultivated as an
ornamental plant. "
Japanese iris" may also refer to ''
I. sanguinea'' and ''
I. laevigata'', both native to Japan.
Description
''Iris ensata'' is an erect
rhizomatous herbaceous
Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials.
Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous"
The fourth edition of t ...
perennial growing to tall, with strap-shaped leaves. The flower, appearing in midsummer, is purple with a flash of yellow on the falls. The bluish purple color of the flowers is an example of the
copigmentation phenomenon.
Habitat
Widely distributed throughout the Japanese archipelago and elsewhere, ''I. ensata'' is very hardy down to . It prefers a boggy or marshy environment and soil with a low (acidic)
pH. In favourable conditions it will eventually form sizable clumps.
Cultivation
''Iris ensata'' is extensively grown as an
ornamental plant in
gardens and
parks
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...
throughout the
temperate zones of the world.
''Iris ensata'' is highly prized in Japan. It is possible that it was introduced into Japanese culture in
ancient times, in association with
rice farming.
[ Certainly it has been cultivated and hybridised there for at least five centuries. The grows in the wet land and is the most extensively cultivated variety in Japanese gardens. According to the place where it was cultivated, ''I. ensata'' is classified into three strains – the Edo (Tokyo), Higo (Kumamoto Prefecture) and Ise (Mie Prefecture).
Upon being introduced to the west in the mid-19th century, a new chapter was opened in the cultivation of this species. In America it was intensively hybridised to produce many new cultivars. Perhaps the most influential breeders in the United States have been Arlie Payne of Indiana, the Marx family of Oregon, Arthur Hazzard of Michigan, and Currier McEwan of Maine. Between them they have produced plants with large blooms and a wide range of colours. In the UK interest in this plant has been equally strong. The national collection is held at the Marwood Hill Gardens in Barnstaple, Devon.]Award of Garden Merit
The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions.
History
The Award of Garden Merit ...
:-
*'Aldridge Visitor'
*'Alpine Majesty'
*'Barr Purple East'
*'Caprician Butterfly'
*'Crystal Halo'
*'Flying Tiger'
*'Frilled Enchantment'
*'The Great Mogul'
*'Hue and Cry'
*'Katy Mendez'
*'The Mancunian'
*'Returning Tide'
*'Rose Queen'
*'Southern Son'
*'Variegata'
Gallery
File:Meigetuin02.jpg, ''Hanashōbu'' at Meigetsuin
File:Iris ensata var ensata2.jpg, ''Iris ensata'' var. ''ensata''
File:Iris ensata 'Narihira'01.jpg, ’Narihira’
File:Iris ensata, 'Arctic Fancy' cultivar (Chanticleer Garden).jpg, ‘Arctic Fancy’
References
External links
Hanashobu Park in Sawara, Japan
{{Authority control
ensata
Flora of Japan
Flora of Korea
Flora of Manchuria
Flora of the Russian Far East
Garden plants of Asia
Plants described in 1794