Iris heylandiana
Iris heylandiana 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 the marshlands or fields of Iraq. It has short, linear or sickle shaped grey-green leaves, slender stem, a single flower in spring, which has a dingy-white, whitish, or pale background, which is covered in many spots or dark veining, in black-purple, brown-purple, or brown violet, or brown shades. It has a dark brown or burgundy brown signal patch and white tinged with yellow or orange white sparse beard. It is rarely cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions, as it needs very dry conditions during the summer.
Description
It has a short, brown rhizome, that is creeping and stoloniferous.It has 5-7 leaves, which are linear in the middle, but falcate or sickle-shaped, on the outside. They are similar in form to Iris sari but are narrower. The glaucescent, greyish green leaves, can grow up to between long, and between 0.8mm and 1.2 cm wide. After flowering they begin to fade away, before regrowing in spring. It has a slender stem or peduncle, that can grow up to between tall. The flowers are high above the foliage. The stem has 1 green, lanceolate, membranous, spathes, which is long. The stem has a terminal flower, blooming in Spring between April, and June. The flowers are in diameter, they have a dingy-white, whitish, or pale background, which has many spots and dark veining, in black-purple, brown-purple, or brown violet, or brown shades. Like other irises, it has 2 pairs of petals, 3 large sepals, known as the 'falls' and 3 inner, smaller petals, known as the 'standards'. The obovate or cuneate falls, are long and 3.5–4 cm wide. In the centre of the fall, is a signal patch, which is dark brown, or burgundy brown, and in the middle of the falls, it has a row of short hairs called the 'beard', which is sparse, and white with a slightly yellow tint, or orange-white. It has broader standards, which are orbicular, or unguiculate, they are cm long and 4.5–5 cm wide. It has short, 3.5 to 5 cm long, broad and crenulated crests, and a 2.5 cm long perianth tube. After the iris has flowered, it produces a trigonal and long seed capsule.
Biochemistry
As most irises are diploid, having two sets of chromosomes, this can be used to identify hybrids and classification of groupings.It has a chromosome count: 2n=20, similar to other Oncocyclus irises.
Taxonomy
The Latin specific epithet heylandiana refers to the German botanical artist Jean-Christophe Heyland, he lived mainly in Switzerland, working for Delessert, Webb, Boissier and other botanists.It was originally found in Mesopotamia, and then called Iris iberica var. heylandiana by John Gilbert Baker in 1877 in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society Vol.16 on page 142.
It was then soon re-named as Iris heylandiana in 1882 by Boiss. in Fl. Orient. Vol.5 on page 130,. In 1893, Foster described the species in The Garden (Royal Horticultural Society) of 18 February, but in 1977 S. A Chaudhary worked out that one of these was instead Iris gatesii. It was found that Boissier & Reuter had named two specimens Iris heylandiana, but one of these was also determined to be I. gatesii by Chaudhary.
It has also been confused with Iris nectarifera, as both of these species have been found in the Derbassieh area in Syria. Although I. nectarifera is mainly from adjacent Turkey.
It was verified by United States Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service on 4 April 2003, then altered on 2 December 2004.
It is listed in the Encyclopedia of Life, and in the Catalogue of Life.
Distribution and habitat
It is native to temperate Asia.Range
It is found in Iraq, from Mosul to Baghdad. It is also once thought to occur in north-east Syria, and found in Palestine in 1888.Iris maculata was found in Turkey, near Mardin.