''Iris marsica'' is a plant species in the genus '' Iris'', it is also in the subgenus '' Iris''. It is a rhizomatous

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 wide ...

, from the

Apennine Mountains The Apennines or Apennine Mountains (; grc-gre, links=no, Ἀπέννινα ὄρη or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; la, Appenninus or – a singular with plural meaning;''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which wou ...

, in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. It has glaucous, sickle-shaped or curved, light green leaves, slender stem with 2 branches, and 3 violet, light blue violet, dark violet, and dark purple flowers. It was only found and described since 1973, and is not yet in general cultivation. It was once thought to be a form of Iris germanica, but has different morphological characteristics and different chromosomal differences.

Description

It is similar in form to '' Iris germanica'', but it has more curved leaves (or sickle-shaped,) greener, and longer leaves, the stem is less glaucous,British Iris Society (1997) and it has less scarious (membranous) spathes. It has a thick rhizome, with many

stoloniferous In biology, stolons (from Latin '' stolō'', genitive ''stolōnis'' – "branch"), also known as runners, are horizontal connections between organisms. They may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton; typically, animal stolons are external ...

and fibrous branches. The rhizomes grow at ground level. It has

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 ...

, (or

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

), falcate (sickle-shaped), light green and slightly glaucous leaves. They can grow up to long. They often have 2–3 basal (rising from the rhizome) leaves, with one sheathing the stem. It has a flattened stem, or

peduncle Peduncle may refer to: *Peduncle (botany), a stalk supporting an inflorescence, which is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed *Peduncle (anatomy), a stem, through which a mass of tissue is attached to a body **Peduncle (art ...

, that can grow up to between tall. It has 2 short branches, (or

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

s), the lowest branch is similar in length to the bract. The other branch, appears from the midpoint on the stem. The stem has 2–3 green, marked with purple, slightly inflated, rounded, spathes (leaves of the flower bud). They are scarious (along the top part of the leaf), at blooming time. The stem (and the branches) hold up to 3 flowers, in early season, in April, May, or between May and June. The slightly fragrant, flowers come in shades of violet, light blue violet, dark violet, and dark purple. It sometimes has bi-toned flowers. Like other irises, it has 2 pairs of petals, 3 large

sepals A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

(outer petals), known as the 'falls' and 3 inner, smaller petals (or

tepals A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...

), known as the 'standards'. The falls are obovate or cuneate (wedge shaped), and long and 4.5 cm wide. They have dark veining on the haft (near to the stem), They also sometimes curl under. In the centre, of the falls is a 'beard', or line of white hairs, tipped with yellow. The standards are elliptic shaped, with a narrow haft, and long and 3.8 cm wide. It has 3.8 cm long perianth tube, the style branch is normally, white with violet crest. The crest is toothed (dentate). It has white or blue filaments, and pale cream

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by seed plants. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm cells). Pollen grains have a hard coat made of sporopollenin that protects the gametophyt ...

. It has a triangular in section ovary. After the iris has flowered, it produces a seed capsule, which has not been described.

Biochemistry

In 2000, 11 iris species were studied and their leaf

flavonoid Flavonoids (or bioflavonoids; from the Latin word ''flavus'', meaning yellow, their color in nature) are a class of polyphenolic secondary metabolites found in plants, and thus commonly consumed in the diets of humans. Chemically, flavonoids ...

, isoflavonoid and

xanthone Xanthone is an organic compound with the molecular formula O 6H4CO. It is a white solid. In 1939, xanthone was introduced as an insecticide and it currently finds uses as Insecticide, ovicide for codling moth eggs and as a larvicide. Xanthone ...

(chemical) constituents were analysed in order to investigate their

phylogeny A phylogenetic tree (also phylogeny or evolutionary tree Felsenstein J. (2004). ''Inferring Phylogenies'' Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, MA.) is a branching diagram or a tree showing the evolutionary relationships among various biological spec ...

. ''Iris marsica'' is thought to have originated from ''

Iris pseudopumila ''Iris pseudopumila'' is a perennial plant with violet, purple, or yellow flowers, sometimes in combination. The beards are white, yellow, or bluish white. Native to southern Italy.Donald Wyman Donald Wyman (1904 — 6 December 1993) was an Ameri ...

'' Tineo (chromosomal count of 2n= 16) x ''

Iris variegata ''Iris variegata'', commonly known as the Hungarian iris, is a plant species in the genus ''Iris'', also in the subgenus ''Iris''. It is a rhizomatous perennial from eastern Europe. It has dark green, ribbed leaves. The branched flowering stems c ...

'' L. (2n = 24) but other possible parents are '' Iris pallida'' Lam., ''

Iris cengialti ''Iris pallida'' subsp. ''cengialti'' is a subspecies in the genus ''Iris'', it is also in the subgenus ''Iris''. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from Italy and (part of the former country of Yugoslavia) Slovenia. It has yellowish-green, glaucous ...

'' Kern. (Terpin et al. 1996),'' Iris illyrica'' Tomm. (2n = 24) and ''

Iris reichenbachii ''Iris reichenbachii'' is a perennial bearded iris species native to Bulgaria, Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, and into northeast Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe ...

'' Heuff. (2n = 24). As most irises are

diploid Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell, and hence the number of possible alleles for autosomal and pseudoautosomal genes. Sets of chromosomes refer to the number of maternal and paternal chromosome copies, respectively ...

, having two sets of

chromosomes A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins are ...

, this can be used to identify hybrids and classification of groupings. It has a chromosome count: 2n=40, it was counted by Colasante & Sauer in 1993. The chromosomal count of 2n=40 is the same as ''

Iris setina ''Iris setina'', the iris of Sezze, is a species in the genus ''Iris (plant), Iris'', it is also in the subgenus of Iris subg. Iris, Iris. It is a rhizomatous perennial plant, perennial, from a small region in Italy.It has glaucous sword-like le ...

'', ''

Iris bicapitata ''Iris bicapitata'' is a plant species in the genus ''Iris'', it is also in the subgenus ''Iris''. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from the Gargano Peninsula, Italy. It has sickle or pointed leaves, shorter than the flowering stem. It has two flow ...

'', ''

Iris lutescens ''Iris lutescens'', the Crimean iris, is a rhizomatous flowering plant in the genus ''Iris''. It is native to North East Spain, Southern France and Italy. It is found on rocky or sandy hillsides or in woodlands. It grows up to tall, with broad ...

'', ''

Iris relicta ''Iris relicta'' is a plant species in the genus ''Iris'', it is also in the subgenus ''Iris''. It is a rare rhizomatous perennial, from the mountains of Italy. It is medium-sized, with purple flowers and white beards. It is rarely cultivated as ...

'' and ''

Iris revoluta ''Iris revoluta'' is a plant species in the genus ''Iris (plant), Iris'', it is also in the subgenus ''Iris subg. Iris, Iris''. It is a rhizomatous perennial plant, perennial, from a small area in Salento, Italy. It has (sword-shaped) or falcate ...

''.

Taxonomy

It has the common name of 'Marsican iris'.Luciano Di Gregorio The Latin

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''marsica'' refers to Monti Marsicani (a mountain range) in

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese Neapolitan, Abbrùzze , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; nap, label=Sabino dialect, Aquilano, Abbrùzzu; #History, historically Abruzzi) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy wi ...

, Italy. It was first published and described by

Ignazio Ricci Ignazio () is a masculine Italian given name. Notable people with the name include: Arts *Ignazio Collino (1736–1793), Italian sculptor *Ignazio Fresu (born 1957), Italian sculptor *Ignazio Gardella (1905–1999), Italian architect and designer ...

(1922–1986) and

Maria Antonietta Colasante Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial *170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...

in 'Annali di botanica' Vol.32 page218, in 1973 (published in 1974), published in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, with 14 colour illustrations. It was later published in the 'Bulletin of the American Iris Society' Vol.292 on pages 82–85 in January 1994. It was verified by

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

and the

Agricultural Research Service The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the principal in-house research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). ARS is one of four agencies in USDA's Research, Education and Economics mission area. ARS is charged with ext ...

on 4 April 2003, then updated on 3 December 2004. It is listed in the Encyclopedia of Life. ''Iris marsica'' is an accepted name by the RHS.

Distribution and habitat

It is

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to South-eastern Europe.

Range

It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to Italy, within the regions of

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

Marche Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

Molise Molise (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Neapolitan, Mulise) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy. Until 1963, it formed part of the region of Abruzzi e Molise, alongside the region of Abruzzo. The split, which did not become effe ...

and Abruzzo. It has geographic range of , which includes the Apennine Mountains, Monti Simbruini (with ''Iris sambucina'' (a synonym of '' Iris germanica'' L.) and ''Iris chameiris'' (a synonym of ''

'' Lam.)), and The Abruzzo National Park. It is listed in a checklist of

Vascular The blood vessels are the components of the circulatory system that transport blood throughout the human body. These vessels transport blood cells, nutrients, and oxygen to the tissues of the body. They also take waste and carbon dioxide away f ...

Flora in Italy, with ''

Iris albicans ''Iris albicans'', also known as the cemetery iris, white cemetery iris, or the white flag iris, is a species of iris which was planted on graves in Muslim regions and grows in many countries throughout the Middle East and northern Africa. It was ...

'', ''

'', '' Iris foetidissima'', '' Iris germanica'', ''Iris marsica'', '' Iris pallida'', ''

Iris planifolia ''Iris planifolia'' is a species of flowering plant in the subgenus ''Scorpiris'' of the genus '' Iris'', family Iridaceae. This bulbous perennial from Southern Europe and North Africa has long, shiny green leaves, a short stem, and large scent ...

'', '' Iris pseudacorus'', ''

'', ''Iris relicta'', ''Iris revoluta'' ''Iris setina'', ''

Iris sibirica ''Iris sibirica'' ( commonly known as Siberian iris or Siberian flag), is a species in the genus ''Iris''. It is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial, from Europe (including France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Hu ...

'' and ''

Iris xiphium ''Iris xiphium'', commonly known as the Spanish iris, is an iris native to Spain and Portugal. It has also been found in Corsica, South West France, southern Italy, Algeria and Tunisia. This species is also known as the small bulbous-rooted ir ...

''. It is also listed as endemic species of the Apennines with '' Aquilegia magellensis'', ''

Centaurea scannensis ''Centaurea'' () is a genus of over 700 species of herbaceous thistle-like flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Members of the genus are found only north of the equator, mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere; the Middle East and surrounding reg ...

'', '' Jonopsidium savianum'', ''

Goniolimon italicum ''Goniolimon'', sometimes called the statices, are a genus of flowering plants in the leadwort and plumbago family Plumbaginaceae, native to northern Africa, southern Europe, western and central Asia, Siberia, Mongolia and China. Low-lying peren ...

'', ''

Astragalus aquilanus ''Astragalus'' is a large genus of over 3,000 species of herbs and small shrubs, belonging to the legume family Fabaceae and the subfamily Faboideae. It is the largest genus of plants in terms of described species. The genus is native to tempe ...

'' and ''

Achillea luncana ''Achillea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, known colloquially as yarrows. The plants typically have frilly leaves. The common name "yarrow" usually refers to '' A. millefolium''. The genus was named after the Gre ...

''.

Habitat

It grows on the dry grasslands, mountain pastures, and scrub lands.

Conservation

''Iris marsica'' has only been recorded from a limited number of locations, about 12 localities have a stable population. Most (10), are within the Abruzzo National Park. It is at risk of

extinction Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

, due to the threat of collection (from the wild). It is listed on the IUCN Red List of Plants of Italy, on both the national and regional sections, as 'lower risk (LR). It is now listed as a 'strictly protected' flora species. It is protected by the EU Habitats Directive (Annex IV) and the Berne Convention (Annexe I) 1979.Council of Europe (Editors) 3 records are listed on Global Biodiversity Information Facility. In 2011, it was listed on the ''European Red List of Vascular Plants'' of the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

as 'Data Deficient' (DD).

Cultivation

It is

hardy Hardy may refer to: People * Hardy (surname) * Hardy (given name) * Hardy (singer), American singer-songwriter Places Antarctica * Mount Hardy, Enderby Land * Hardy Cove, Greenwich Island * Hardy Rocks, Biscoe Islands Australia * Hardy, Sout ...

. It prefers situations in well-drained soils in full sun. It can be grown on slopes, and can be grown in similar situations as other bearded irises. It is not regularly available for sale, but only cultivated by iris collectors. Specimens can be seen in 'Michele Tenore Majella Botanical Garden', (also known as ' Giardino Botanico della Majella') situated within the scree slopes section of the garden.

Propagation

Irises can generally be propagated by division, or by seed growing.

Toxicity

Like many other irises, most parts of the plant are poisonous (rhizome and leaves), and if mistakenly ingested can cause stomach pains and vomiting. Handling the plant may cause skin irritation or an allergic reaction.David G Spoerke and Susan C. Smolinske

References

Sources

* Mathew, B. 1981. The Iris. 31. * Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964–1980. Flora europaea.

External links

Has an image of the iris in flower

Has a map of Italy, where the flower can be located and several images of the flowers
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15571488 marsica Plants described in 1973 Garden plants Flora of Europe Flora of Italy Endemic flora of Italy