Marsican iris

Description

Iris marsica is a plant species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Iris. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from the Apennine Mountains, in Italy. 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. 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, and it has less scarious (membranous) spathes. It has a thick rhizome, with many stoloniferous and fibrous branches. The rhizomes grow at ground level. It has herbaceous, (or deciduous), falcate (sickle-shaped), light green and slightly glaucous leaves. They can grow up to 30 cm (12 in) long. They often have 2–3 basal (rising from the rhizome) leaves, with one sheathing the stem. It has a flattened stem, or peduncle, that can grow up to between 30–65 cm (12–26 in) tall. It has 2 short branches, (or pedicels), 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. 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. It has a triangular in section ovary. It is native to South-eastern Europe. It is listed in a checklist of Vascular Flora in Italy, with Iris whitish, Iris bicapitata, Iris foetidissima, Iris germanica, Iris marsica, Iris pale, Iris planifolia, Iris pseudacorus, Iris pseudopumila, Iris abandoned and Iris xiphium. It is also listed as endemic species of the Apennines with Aquilegia magellensis, Centaurea scannensis, Jonopsidium savianum, Goniolimon italicum, Astragalus aquilanus and Achillea luncana.