Oncocyclus

Iris acutiloba

A dwarf Oncocyclus species with a fan of narrow sickle shaped leaves that are hardly noticeable below the large flower! This is 7cm across and is intricately veined all over. The petals are light dove grey, veined and lined deep red-brown, around a black signal patch.

An outstanding member of the most breath-taking section of Iris. Pot or bulb frame, sharply drained.

This clonal stock, first found near Gobustanin, Azerbaijan, is typical acutiloba, with quite rounded segments and an apical blotch on both the base and the fall. Very distinct from lineolata.

As we have several inter-fertile but self-sterile clonal stocks, we may offer different stocks each year. The description remains the same for each species only the clone may vary.

Iris barnumae barnumae

This is a fabulous plant and ours is a typical clone for this subspecies with great big standards of a deep imperial purple shaded with reddish-brown. The shade is hard to describe but very attractive to view. It reaches some 20 cm in flower. The petals are contrasted with a very narrow beard composed of whitish hairs.

Cultivated material but traceable to a stock first found near Tasmnli Gecidi, some 50 km N of Van.

For the UK pot cultivation is best and alpine house is excellent in a loam based, well-drained, fertile, limey soil.

photograph copyright © A.M.D. Hoog with permission.

Iris bostrensis

Described by Mouterde in 1955 from N Jordan, near the Syrian frontier, close to the ancient site of Bosra our small stock is from a single plant, found no more than 10km away and it matches the original concept closely. However, similarly coloured plants are also found in wild populations of I. nigricans.

The standards look like brown-black satin on the exterior whilst they are incredibly veined brown, over a slightly paler background, on the inside. The falls are similarly coloured with a bright yellow beard. The brown flower and the intricate veining mark this out as a very desirable plant.

First offered 2011 and stock very limited.

Iris damascena

This is clonal material from a plant originally from N.W. of Damascus on the eastern slopes of the Anti-Lebanon range, close to the type locality of damascena. Though it does not fit the description in Mathew’s Iris book, it does fit the later A guide to species Irises.

The flower is huge, some 15cm in diameter. The standards are whitish with thin, dense grey-lilac dotting, the falls are of deeper, violet-brown with more intense spotting and a blackish signal patch in the centre. Our clone, grown in pots reaches about 35cm tall.

Iris elegantissima Horassan

A stock of the most typical colour combination of this species – creamy white standards and deep brown falls.

Our stock consists of more than one clone from the same population though these are not segregated. Originally from near Horassan in NE Turkey.

Iris elegantissima Irgirdir

This brand new form (first offered 2011) has fabulously contrasted, creamy-whitish standards and dark brown falls. In this clone, however, the falls are closely pressed to the stem, thus deviating from the known cultivated stocks of this species.

The original plant came from near Irgirdir in north easternmost Turkey.

Iris kirkwoodii calcarea

A large flowered Oncocyclus species from Southern Turkey and Northern Syria with heavily spotted and veined flowers on tall stems. Each bloom is some 12cm across and has a virtually white background colour very heavily overlaid with deep purple-black. The signal patch is also deep purple and is surrounded by long purple hairs. As a rule the standards are paler with a pink tinge and deeper veins.

Despite its southerly origins, several growers have done well with this in an appropriate site outside in the UK and it has persisted in cultivation for 35 years from its last introductions.

Sharp drainage, sun and best potted as long as you can provide good winter air circulation.

Iris lineolata

JJA.590.625

Amazing flowers of white, strongly streaked and veined with deep grey-brown. Each fall has just one black signal patch and beard.

This is classic lineolata very distinct horticulturally from acutiloba.

Iris lineolata

09-115A

Purple and brown, beautifully lined flowers. Propagated, clonal material from SE Armenia: near Schvanidzor which is the type locality of so-called grossheimii.

Iris lineolata

09-44B

This clone is medium tall (stems 10-15 cm in our conditions) with flowers which incline towards brown rather than black, these brownish flowers are remarkably attractive.

Iris lycotis

Deep purple falls and standards, the falls heavily veined especially around the darker signal patch. In this clone both the standards and the falls are of a similar, deep purple-brown colour. The flowers sit over narrow, sabre-shaped, blue-green leaves.

This is clonal, from a single plant originating from near Urmia Lake in W. Iran.

Iris mariae

This is a rare Oncocyclus found in a limited area of Egypt and Israel.

The rhizome is short with slender, 10-12cm long foliage which sits below 25cm stems which each holds a flower of self-coloured, pink to pale violet. The petals are satin-textured and lightly marked with fine veining of purple which is only visible close to. In the centre of each petal is a large and conspicuous deep purple signal patch and a purple beard.

A very attractive dwarf species restricted to stable sand dunes and loessial sand in the Negev desert. Requires very good drainage, restricted water and freedom from the worst of frosts, although correct cultivation (keeping it barely dry in the winter) will make it more cold tolerant.

Iris meda

A striking Iris with extremely long spathe-valves. It is close to sari (not accepted as occurring in Iran) but the falls are tucked in. Bright but pale, lemon yellow to creamy straw-yellow ground colour veined with dull brown & a dense beard of bright yellow hairs immediately above a chestnut-maroon-black signal patch. About 20cm. high.

This stock is much more robust than the small forms from the Kurdish steppes far to the SW. Horticultural propagations from plants originally from Iran, East Azerbaijan province, NE of Miyaneh (Mianeh, Meyaneh) at 1,500m. Among steppe vegetation in stony clay. Material from this locality (which was not accessible by road in the 1960s), has not been in cultivation before.

As a footnote, several other collections were made in the 1960s from a very different locality. Those very variable, low altitude populations occur on the mudhills of the Zanjan Chay river valley, on the main road to Tehran, SSE of Miyaneh. They are the possibly hybrid populations mentioned by Brian Mathew in "The Iris". Ours are not from those introductions and have not been offered before.

Iris nigricans

A national flower of Jordan and a spectacular one.

We have several clones, but all are of a deep and intense blackish-purple, with only very slight differences in their shade and dark beards. The flowers are borne on plants which are some 35 cm tall. This is slightly taller than in the wild and in cultivation the leaves are quite straight, though they are recurved in the wild. This is probably due to low light levels in our cloudy winters.

This is growable but needs attention to good winter air circulation and light, sharp drainage and freedom from pests.

Iris paradoxa

The 4cm falls are small compared to the standards, but of delicious purple with a dense beard of black-purple. The standards are large, to 10cm, white densely dotted and strongly veined blue all over. The whole plant is only 10-20cm tall.

Well-drained sunny spot, dry in summer.

As we have several inter-fertile but self-sterile clonal stocks, we may offer different stocks each year. The description remains the same for each species only the clone may vary.