The Iris Flowered Crocus

 by Jim Murrain

    Crocus is a well known and much beloved member of the Iris family. There are dozens of species and hundreds of varieties in a range of colors and sizes. One of them, C. banaticus, was previously called Crocus iridiflorus, or the Iris Flowered Crocus. Unfortunately C. banaticus was proven to be the older name so we are stuck with it. Its popularity would be much greater if it were still C. iridiflorus. 

    The reason it was called Iris flowered is due to the differing size of the tepals. In all other Crocus they are the same size. Here the smaller inner tepals look more like standards and the larger outer tepals appear more like falls than in any other Crocus. Of course there aren't any style arms like in Iris, instead it has a much branched stigma.

    While usually a pale lavender there are darker forms like the one above and also a beautiful white. I am at a loss to understand why I have not been able to grow a white flowered one as the others have been easy here in Kansas City.  C. banaticus even self sows but never as much as I would like.

    While it is a fall flowering Crocus the foliage does not emerge until spring. The leaves are sharply keeled and lack the silver stripe found on most Crocus. It hails from the Balkans and is perfectly adapted to a continental climate.

    This Crocus is readily available from many flower bulb dealers and is a long lived and fun addition to the garden. Give it a try and you will be rewarded every fall with a bouquet of Iris Flowered Crocus.

Iris anguifuga - The missing link?

by Jim Murrain

     Iris anguifuga is native to China and has been cultivated for centuries around summer gardens to repel snakes from entering the grounds and, when the rhizome is ground into a paste, applied topically as an herbal remedy against snakebites (or so these ‘Old Wives' tales go). This clone was collected by Dr. James Waddick in 1989 and has been named 'Snake Bane'.

     'Snake Bane' is a typical beardless Iris in many respects. It has that generic shape and color of many irises. It could easily be mistaken for a Spuria Iris at bloom time. However, it has a marked difference from all other irises, it is dormant and leafless during most of the growing season. Iris anguifuga begins growth in late fall as other irises are getting ready for winter and the snakes are going into hiding. It remains green in my z6a garden all winter although at only two to three inches in height. In early spring it puts forth a burst of growth and is in flower by mid-May. Around June, as the snakes emerge and gain their strength back, the Iris goes dormant or 'disappears'.

     These two older photos give a better idea of the true color. I. anguifuga is vigorous in full sun and makes a nice clump quickly. It will grow in partial shade but flowering will be reduced.

     The missing link? Iris anguifuga spends summer as a compact bulb. When it breaks dormancy in the fall it grows a rhizome. After flowering the rhizome withers away except for the growth point which pulls together in the form of a bulb. It is thought that this may be how bulbous irises first developed. 

     This illustration from the book Iris of China shows Iris anguifuga on the right half, 1 through 5. You can see the bulb shape has formed just before the rhizome will disappear for the summer.

     It is a modest plant in the garden with a simple display, but the story is a real conversation starter and who knows?  Maybe it will keep the snakes away, too.

I'm So Glad

by Jim Murrain

    The familiar Gladiolus is a well known member of the Iris Family. Most species and hybrids are from southern Africa and not hardy in much of North America. However, there are the less well known European Glads that are remarkably cold tolerant. With the exception of G. italicus which is easily obtained at any garden center in the Fall, the other species are unfortunately somewhat rare.

Gladiolus byzantinus

    The largest and showiest in my garden is Gladiolus byzantinus. It is over three feet in hight and has large colorful flowers. There is more than a bit of name confusion surrounding this species and the next one I will show. They will often be listed as Gladiolus communis ssp. byzantinus or Gladiolus byzantinus ssp. communis.

Gladiolus communis

    A close second for height and show is Gladiolus communis. It is very similar to the previous Glad but flowers a week or two later in Kansas City.

Gladiolus italicus

    The easiest to obtain of all hardy Glads is Gladiolus italicus, in fact it is often the species you receive when you purchase  corms or seeds regardless of the name given. Seed exchanges run by SIGNA (Species Iris Group of North America) and NARGS (North American Rock Garden Society) are your best bet to get the correct named plants although not guaranteed.

Gladiolus italicus  'Texas Snowflurry'

    There are few color forms available although the shade can vary between different seedlings. I obtained 'Texas Snowflurry' through Plant Delights a few years ago. I have yet to capture a good photo of it as it needs dividing badly and flowering has suffered. 

Gladiolus illyricus

    A shorter, front of the bed Glad, is Gladiolus illyricus. Possibly one of the hardiest members of this group it suffers from fewer flowers although it makes up for that as it is a very good grower.

    These and maybe a few other species are hardy to at least USDA z5. I have tried to ID what I grow but am not 100% sure if all are correct. I have yet to grow Gladiolus palustris, the most northerly of the European Gladiolus. All flower in mid to late Spring  and peak just as the Tall Bearded irises are beginning to wane.

         I hope I have piqued your interest and an increased demand for the hardy Glads may spur an enterprising nursery to offer a wider variety.

    One final note, these all prefer to be planted in the Fall as do most hardy bulbs.

Iris brevicaulis the Short Stemmed Iris

by Jim Murrain

Iris brevicaulis is a Louisiana Iris species. It was first described from a plant found in Jackson County, Missouri on June 6, 1897. It still grows in the same location. That specimen is considered the 'type' or what all descriptions of this Iris are based upon. It was described and named Iris foliosa, the leafy Iris. Iris brevicaulis had previously been named, but the description was changed to match I. foliosa and the currently accepted name is Iris brevicaulis, the short stemmed Iris.

Above and below: I. brevicaulis from the 'type' location in Missouri.

I. brevicaulis  is the hardiest and most wide ranging of the Louisiana irises. It has been found from Leavenworth, Kansas all the way to  the northeast shore of Lake Erie in Ontario, Canada, as far southwest as The Big Thicket of east Texas and southeast into the Florida Panhandle.

Below is one from Alabama.

Oh course, as with all Louisiana irises (and the reason for the descriptive name) the greatest concentrations are found in and near the bayous of south Louisiana. I. brevicaulis, however,  prefers it drier than the other members of its group and is found above the riverbanks and in moist fields.

A purple and a dark blue found in Arkansas.

It readily hybridizes with the other Louisiana Iris species and imparts greater hardiness and a lessened need for wet conditions, so it should be used even more in hybridization.

Below is an interesting color form, named 'Finders Keepers', selected by Frank Chowning and registered in 1961. There is still much of interest in the straight species and they are worth growing on their own merits.

There is also a registered 'All Falls' with six falls and no standards that I would love to see, and several selections of white flowered forms.

Iris brevicaulis is the easiest of all Louisiana Iris species to grow and the latest to flower, thus a fine season extender.  Consider adding this iris to your garden.

SIGNA Seed Exchange Siberians

by Jim Murrain

Kansas City, Missouri gardener Rick Davis had grown Bearded Irises almost exclusively for decades. Shortly after he joined the Greater Kansas City Iris Society he moved to a larger lot in Independence, Missouri. If you live in the Kansas City area and grow Iris you will eventually be asked to help with the Species Iris Group of North America Seed Exchange. 

Rick was asked to help count and package seeds a few years ago. This was his first serious exposure to beardless irises. The second year he helped he joined SIGNA and purchased a variety of seeds. At the end of the shipping season we had a sale on left overs and he purchased a few more.

Rick planted the seeds in tin cans and old flower pots and left them outdoors to let mother nature care for them. As Spring arrived he watered as needed and got good germination on most kinds of irises. Some didn't come up until the following year though.

He had especially good germination on siberian Iris cultivars. They looked like tufts of grass in the pots. When weather permitted he lined them out in a new garden area.

Unlike myself Rick is a keen gardener and kept the weeds at bay and watered the seedlings during dry spells. The photos here are three years old plants grown from those seeds.

While Rick had good flowering on many types of iris I was there at peak siberian season so can share these with you. You can see modern forms and species type like the one below.

I would call this a pink bi-tone.

A near double or six fall seedling.

I especially loved this row where the stalks were over four feet tall.

A soft yellow.

A good 'red' siberian.

A very cute species type flower in palest lavender with darker veins.

Many shades of Iris.

Soft pink with butter yellow styles and golden signals.

Almost a watercolor effect on this seedling.

Dick Davis discussing the garden with a member of the Greater Kansas City Iris Society

Unfortunately last spring was the last full year for Rick's garden. He dug and donated all of his bearded irises to a sale last summer. If he is able to keep the property into spring 2014 we will be selecting and digging beardless irises to move to member gardens. This is rental property and is listed for sale.

It was fun to see the amazing diversity that growing irises from a wide range of sources gave his garden in only a few years and at a minimal cost in plants.

The SIGNA Seed Exchange is arriving in early January and is a great way to add color and variety to your garden with the excitement of being first person to see a new seedling in flower.