Iris acutiloba subsp. lineolata

It has a rhizome that is very similar to other Oncocyclus irises.[3] [4] They are brown, small,[5] slender, (around 1 cm wide),[6] and short.[7] They are branched, with reddish secondary roots,[8] and have a creeping habit,[7][8] across the ground.[5]

It has narrow, lanceolate,[8][9] or recurved,[6] and falcate (sickle-shaped) leaves,[7][10][11] which are grey-green,[5][8][9] and glaucous.[3][4] They are less falcate than Iris acutiloba, but more falcate than Iris meda.[4] They can grow up to between 10 and 20 cm (4 and 8 in) long,[5] and between 0.2 and 0.7 cm wide.[6][9][10]

It has a slender straight stem,[9] although the base of the stem can be thickened,[8] it can grow up to 8–35 cm (3–14 in) tall,[9][12][13] it is generally about 10 cm tall.[6][10] The stem has a green, lanceolate (narrow and pointed), spathe (leaf of the flower bud). It is not inflated, like many other irises, and they stay green after blossoming.[3][4] They can be 15 mm long.[7]

The stem holds 1 terminal (top of stem) flower,[4][7][8] blooming between April,[14] and May,[6][7] or May to June,[11] or between June and August.[9]

The flower is very similar in shape and shade to Iris acutiloba,[8] it can be described as looking like a bat that has cross bred with a zebra.[15]

The pale flowers,[16] are 5–9 cm (2–4 in) in diameter,[6][17] come in shades of white,[12][18][19] cream,[20][21][22] light yellow,[5] or creamy white.[3][4][5] They have veining that is purple or brown,[4][18][22] or grey,[12] or black.[19] The climate and soil type, can have an influence on the shade of the flowers, so that they can vary in the wild.[5] Some forms of have creamy or yellow markings or veining.[23]

Like other irises, it has 2 pairs of petals, 3 large sepals (outer petals), known as the 'falls' and 3 inner, smaller petals (or tepals), known as the 'standards'.[24] The falls are oblong,[8] or pointed,[19] and lanceolate shaped,[7] and can be 4–7 cm (2–3 in) long,[8] and 2.5 cm wide.[6][9][11] They have a single dark purple,[3][4][5] dark purple-brown,[8] or black signal patch in the centre of the falls.[10][12][25] In the middle of the falls, it also has a row of short hairs called the 'beard', which are yellow tipped with brown,[3][7] dark brown, black.[6] or dark purple.[5][8] The upright standards are obovate to oblanceolate,[3][4][7] up to 5–8 cm (2–3 in) long and up to 4 cm wide.[6][8] They can have a slight beard on the claw (the part of the petal closest to the stem).[3][4] But both falls and standards can be variable (in the wild), in shade, and also the position of the falls can vary, between horizontal and reflexed.[6][7] It has style branch that is short,[7][8] and chocolate brown coloured.[3][4][7] It has yellow,[8] brown-purple,[7] or brown anthers,[3][4] and dirty yellow pollen.[4] The perianth tube can be to 4–7 cm (2–3 in) long.[8]

After the iris has flowered, between June and July,[11] it produces a capsule,[9] that is elliptical-oblong,[8] or cylindric, and 5–6 cm (2–2 in) long.[7]

1904 image

The Latin specific epithet lineolata comes from the Latin word linea, meaning ‘line’, and -ola, the latter, a suffix used to indicate small size.[27]

It was first published by Brian Mathew & Per Erland Berg Wendelbo in Fl. Iranica Vol.112 on page 32. in 1975, based on an earlier description by Ernst Rudolf von Trautvetter)[28][29]

It has two earlier published synonyms Iris ewbankiana and Iris lineolata.[29] Iris ewbankiana (found in Northern Persia,[4]) was published by Sir Michael Foster in The Gardeners' Chronicle 3rd Series Vol.29 on page 397 on 22 June 1901.[3][7][13][30] Foster described it as "a very perky little iris" and its name commemorates the late Rev H. Ewbank.[3] Who was a vicar on the Isle of Wight, before becoming an American Missionary in Syria.[31] Iris lineolata was published by Alexander Alfonsovich Grossheim in Fl. Kavkaza edition 2 Vol.2 page 221 in 1940.[32] Iris lineolata even has its own synonym Iris helena,[33] which was published in 1870 in Wochenschr. Gärtnerei Pflanzenk. Vol.13 on page179 by K.Koch.[34]

In 1982, Brian Mathew re-classified Iris ewbankiana, Iris lineolata and Iris helena as synonyms of Iris acutiloba subsp. lineolata,[4] although several botanists in Russia and Turkey still class Iris ewbankiana and Iris lineolata as separate species.[23]

Iris acutiloba subsp. lineolata was also published in Botanical mag. 9333 in 1933 (with an Illustration) and in the Journal of RHS Vol. 88 on page 56 in 1963 and again in Vol. 93 page 204 in 1968.[25]

It was verified by United States Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service on 5 October 2016,[29] and is listed in the Encyclopedia of Life,[35] and in the Catalogue of Life.[2]

Iris acutiloba subsp. lineolata is an accepted name by the RHS and is listed in the RHS Plant Finder.[36]

It is native to temperate central Asia,[7][8][29] in the region of Transcaucasia.[20][25][35]

In Turkmenistan, it is a rare species.[38] It only occurs in a single location in Dagestan,[9] within Turkmenistan since 1996, it is protected in Syunt-Khasardag Nature Reserve,[37] and also protected in Shikahogh State Reserve.[11]

It was listed (under Iris ewbankiana) in the Red Data Book of USSR,[8][9][37] as an 'Endangered' species. although it was not listed in the first edition of the Red Data Book of Armenia and is not included in the Annexes of CITES and the Bern Convention.[11]

It is affected in Tajikistan by flower collection, in Turkmenistan, the bulbs have been dug up as well as flower collection.[37] In other places, it is affected by habitat destruction by agricultural activity.[11]

It is rare in cultivation,[10][12][18] but thought to be one of the easier Oncocyclus type irises to grow.[6][9] It prefers to grow in well-drained soils,[19] or if grown in a greenhouse, within a hot sand bed.[18] It prefers soils with a pH level of 7.[12] It prefers positions in full sun.[5][19]

It is hardy to Kent, in the UK.[6]

Like many other irises, most parts of the plant are poisonous (rhizome and leaves), and if mistakenly ingested can cause stomach pains and vomiting. Also, handling the plant may cause skin irritation or an allergic reaction.[41]

• Mathew, B. & M. Zarrei 2009. 654. Iris acutiloba subsp. longitepala Curtis's Bot. Mag. 26:253–259.
• Rechinger, K. H., ed. Flora iranica. 1963– (F Iran)

• Has a photo of the iris
• Has an image of the iris in flower, Seen in Yerevan Botanical Garden, Armenia
• www.plantarium.ru Has many images of the iris labelled as Iris helena

Media related to Iris acutiloba subsp. lineolata at Wikimedia Commons Data related to Iris acutiloba subsp. lineolata at Wikispecies