Iris proantha
Iris proantha is a beardless iris in the genus Iris, in the subgenus Limniris and in the series Chinenses of the genus. It is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial.
Description
Iris proantha has long, brown, slender rhizome that has many branches or stolons, that help it spread into large clumps. The rhizomes are surrounded by several rigid fibres which are the remnants from previous seasons flowers. Under the rhizome, are secondary roots which grow into the soil, looking for nutrients. These roots have small nodules on them. These are used to fix nitrogen, from the soil.It has yellow-green, linear, which measure between long and wide. They then elongate after flowering, growing up to long. They have 1 – 2 veins.
It has a short flowering stem of between tall.
It has one terminal flower, between March and April.
It has 2 green, lanceolate, long and wide, spathes.
The flowers come in a range of blue shades, from purple, to pale violet, to blue, to white and pale pink. They are between in diameter.
It has 2 pairs of petals, 3 large sepals, known as the 'falls' and 3 inner, smaller petals, long and wide, with a horseshoe shaped mark surrounding a paler signal area and a yellow crest. The standards are the same colour as the falls, erect, oblanceolate, long and wide.
It has a 6–10 mm long pedicel, 2.5–3.5 cm long perianth tube, white, 1 cm long stamens and green, cylindrical, 4–5 mm long ovary.
It has 1.8 cm long and 4 mm wide style branch, which are the same colour as the petals.
After the iris has flowered, between May and July, it produces a globose, seed capsule, about 1.2–1.5 cm in diameter. The top of the capsule has a short beak.
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=50, and 2n=44, Mao & Xue, 1986.
Taxonomy
It is written as 小鸢尾 in Chinese script and known as xiao yuan wei in China.It has the common name in of 'small iris'.
It was first published and described by Freidrich Diels in the 'Svensk Botanisk Tidskrift Utgifven af Svenska Botaniska Foreningen' Issue xviii, p427 in 1924.
It was found in Jiangsu and Anhui of China.
In his original description, Diels noted that it had no appendages on the outer perianth lobes, this meant the iris is part of the Apogon Section of the Limniris subgenus. But he was mistaken and the plant does have an appendage. It was found that Diels had made his description due to a pressed specimen.
In 1989, Iris pseudorossii, was found in Baishui, past Nga-ba village.
It is mentioned in the RHS journal, 'New Plantsman'.
It was later verified by United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service on 4 April 2003.
Native
Iris proantha is native to temperate areas of Asia.Range
It is found on the east coast areas of China and near Shanghai.Within the provinces of Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
Iris proantha and Iris speculatrix can be found in Hangzhou Botanical Garden and in Tianmu Mountain National Nature Reserve, close to Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province. Also in 2012, the plants of Iris proantha are listed in the Hangzhou West Lake Area in Zhejiang Province.
It has also been recorded as being found in India. In 2007, it was found in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh by Bhaumik and Pathak.
Iris proantha is not cultivated in Europe.
Habitat
It grows beside forest edges, forests, meadows, beside roadsides and on hillsides.Hybrids and cultivars
A known named variant is Iris proantha var. valida.It was published and described by Y.T. Zhao, in 'Acta Phytotaxonomica Sinica' Vol.20 on Page 100 in 1982.
It was originally published as Iris pseudorossii by S.S. Chien in Biol Lab China Association Advancem Science Sect Botany Vol.6 Issue 74 in 1931.
It is written as 粗壮小鸢尾 in Chinese script and known as cu zhuang xiao yuan wei in China.
It is described having leaves measuring by at bloomingtime. It later extends up to.
It has flowering stems long. It has flowers that are 5 cm in diameter.
It can be found growing in forests, open fields and beside roadsides of Zhejiang, China.