Iris camillae
Iris camillae is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Iris and in the section Oncocyclus. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from Azerbaijan. It has narrow, falcate leaves, medium-sized stem and large flowers, where the flower colour is very variable, ranging from violet, purple, pale blue, and also yellow, and occasionally bi-colour forms are found. It has a yellow beard. It is rarely cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions, due to its environmental conditions of its natural habitat.
Description
It has a small, red rhizome, which is about 1 cm long, and medium thick. Underneath the rhizome are long secondary roots. The rhizome and roots make a creeping plant.It has narrow, falcate, leaves, that can grow up to between long. They begin to grow in late November and fade after summer, when the plant becomes dormant.
It has a slender stem or peduncle, that can grow up to between tall.
The stem has 3 acute, carinate, lanceolate, membranous, spathes. It also has long pedicels and a perianth tube which is longer than the ovary. The stems hold 1 terminal flower, blooming in spring, in April.
The flower is similar in form to an Iris pallida flower. The flowers are in diameter, come in various colours, from violet, purple to pale blue, and also yellow, and occasionally bi-colour forms are found. Up to 16 colour forms or hybrids, have been found and noted. Like other irises, it has 2 pairs of petals, 3 large sepals, known as the '
It has style branches that are recurved and shorter than the falls.
After the iris has flowered, it produces a seed capsule, which has not yet been described.
Biochemistry
As most irises are diploid, having two sets of chromosomes, this can be used to identify hybrids and classification of groupings.In 1977, 47 species of the irises in the Oncocyclus section were analysed, and it was found to have a chromosome count of 2n=20.
Taxonomy
It is commonly known as Kamilla's iris.It is sometimes called Iris camilla.
It has not been recorded what the Latin specific epithet camillae actually refers to/
It was first collected on 29 April 1928, by A. Kolakovsky in Transcaucasia, Azerbajdzhan.
It was then first published and described by Alexander Alfonsovich Grossheim in Schedae ad Plantae orientales exsiccatae Vol.15 on page 40 in 1928. The exsiccata Plantae orientales exsiccatae was coedited by Boris B. K. Schischkin in Tiflis.
It was verified by United States Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service on 4 April 2003 and then updated on 2 December 2004.
It is listed in the Encyclopedia of Life, and in the Catalogue of Life.
Iris camillae is an accepted name by the RHS.
Although, it has discussed by the British Iris Society and D. Kramb, that it may have a hybrid origin between Iris iberica, Iris paradoxa, and Iris acutiloba, but this has not yet been proved.
Distribution and habitat
It is native to temperate Asia.Range
It is endemic, to the Transcaucasian region, within the country of Azerbaijan, in the districts of Kazakh, Tauz and Khokali.Including around Lake Kazan-Gel, or Qazangöl Lake in the Caucasus, on the river Kura.
Habitat
It grows on the rocky, or stony, dry steppes.They can be found at an altitude of above sea level.
Conservation
Iris camillae is a threatened wild plant, and was in 1989 listed in the Red Data Book of Azerbaijan, which helps with its protection. It was re-assessed by the IUCN on 11 October 2006, as vulnerable, as it is only known 4 sites, with a limited population range of about 50 km2. It is threatened due to over-collection of the flowers, for ornamental uses.Cultivation
It is not hardy enough, to be grown outdoors, it should be grown in a bulb frame or greenhouse. It is recommended to be planted late in Autumn, with dolomite and limestone chippings within the soil mix. It also needs feeding when in growth. It needs to be grown in full sun.It was tested for growth in Leningrad Botanic Garden, in Russia. A herbarium specimen is found within Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, and plants are grown in the Botanical Garden of the Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan.