Iris fosteriana
Botanical Name: Iris fosteriana (added by Peter Taggart (UK), 06-JAN-10)
Botanical Synonyms:
I caucasica var bicolour Regel, Juno fosteriana (Aitch. & Bak.) Rodion. (Peter Taggart (UK), 06-JAN-10)
Classification:
Scorpiris (Peter Taggart (UK), 06-JAN-10)
Common Names:
N/A
Chromosome Count:
2n=18 (Gustafasson & Wendelbo 1975) Mathew (Peter Taggart (UK), 06-JAN-10)
General Description:
A spindley juno with a slim bulb with a long neck. my form has a hard outer tunic on the bulb which is a warm cream colour, the inner tunics are very thin , papery, and saffron yellow, as is the bulb. the tuberous roots are long (perhaps 6"), thin and white. they radiate outwards from the basal plate. The leaves emerge early (December) and are narrow and deeply channeld, they are near vertical and curve outwards developed at flowering time, grey below and green above white edge to the leaf. stem unbranched hidden by leaves untill fruiting no aril on the seed. flowers in March (Peter Taggart (UK), 06-JAN-10)
Distinguishing Features:
Flowers are very distinctive compact with wide yellow falls a darker yellow blotch, prominant yellow crest and violet stands which point downwards. (Peter Taggart (UK), 06-JAN-10)
Preferred Habitat:
Dry steppe (Peter Taggart (UK), 06-JAN-10)
Hardiness:
N/A
Native Range:
NW Afghanistan, NE Iran, Turkmenistan (Peter Taggart (UK), 06-JAN-10)
Status in the Wild:
N/A
Commercial Availability:
Collectors sometimes offer wc seed (Peter Taggart (UK), 06-JAN-10)
Sources Cited:
N/A
Additional Comments:
One of the most fragile bulbs I know! a lovely clump forming species, best divided so as to have spare in case of virus infection. it is in cultivation and I have heard there are non bicolour forms (Peter Taggart (UK), 06-JAN-10)
Species Iris Group of North America
