# Iris subg. Iris

Subgenus Iris is one subgenus of Iris.
Iris as a plant was originally named by Carl Linnaeus in his book Systema Naturae (in 1735), with a great number of species being added into the genus. Including new ones that were found after the book's publication. The division of irises into various subgroups, has taken various forms over the years. By the 19th century botanists had created new genera such as Evansia, Hermodactylus, Moraea, Oncocyclus, and Xiphion. Opinion was often divided whether to split the genus into several parts or lump them back into Iris. From J. G. Baker, who separated some such as Moraea and Xiphion from Iris in his book 'Handbook of the Irideae' (published in London) in 1892. Then William R. Dykes, who clarified the situation by a compromise in his monograph The Genus Iris (by Cambridge University Press, 1913; later reprinted in 1974 by Dover). He was the first to term the subgroup as Iris sect. Iris. G. Rodionenko [ru]'s 1961 reclassification in The Genus Iris (written in Russian, Moscow, 1961) was more comprehensive in that he split the genus into five genera: Iris (which included all rhizomatous irises). A taxonomic revision by Brian Mathew in 1981 (The iris, New York: Universe Books), recognized six subgenera: Nepalensis Dykes, Xiphium (Miller) Spach, Scorpiris Spach, Hermodactyloides Spach, Iris L. and Limniris Tausch. Recently, DNA analysis has been used to determine groupings.

## Taxonomy

The subgenus Iris subg. Iris is an autonym. It has been divided into six sections:
* Iris sect. Hexapogon
* Iris sect. Iris
* Iris sect. Oncocyclus
* Iris sect. Psammiris
* Iris sect. Pseudoregelia
* Iris sect. Regelia
Sections Oncocyclus and Regelia are also called aril irises.

## Section bearded irises (or pogon irises)

This is the largest section of the subgenus, the true bearded irises. Most irises come from Southern or eastern Europe. 'Pogon' refers to the Greek word for beard. It has several species of iris including;
* Iris adriatica Trinajstic ex Mitic
* Iris albertii
* Iris albicans—white flag Iris, white cemetery iris.
* Iris alexeenkoi Grossh.
* Iris aphylla L.—stool iris, table iris, leafless iris.
** Iris aphylla subsp. hungarica Waldst. & Kit.) Hegi
* Iris attica (Boiss. & Heldr.) Hayek
* Iris benacensis A.Kern. ex Stapf
* Iris bicapitata Colas.
* Iris croatica—Perunika; endemic to Croatia.
* Iris cypriana Foster & Baker—endemic to Cyprus.
* Iris flavescens Delile—lemon-yellow iris
* Iris florentina L.—syn: Iris germanica nothovar. florentina (L.) Dykes
* Iris furcata Bieb.—forked iris.
* Iris × germanica L.—German iris (includes I. × barbata).
** Iris germanica nothovar. florentina Dykes
* Iris glaucescens Bunge
* Iris griffithii Baker
* Iris hellenica Mermygkas
* Iris illyrica (often included in I. pallida)—endemic to Balkan Peninsula.
* Iris imbricata Lindl.
* Iris junonia Schott ex Kotschy
* Iris kashmiriana Baker
* Iris lutescens Lam. (including I. italica)
* Iris marsica I.Ricci & Colas.
* Iris mesopotamica—Mesopotamian iris
* Iris orjenii—Orjen iris
* Iris pallida—sweet iris, Dalmatian iris
** Iris pallida subsp. cengialti – Iris cengialti
* Iris perrieri Simonet ex P.Fourn.
* Iris pseudopumila Tineo
* Iris pumila L.
* Iris purpureobractea B.Mathew & T.Baytop
* Iris relicta Colas.
* Iris reichenbachii Heuff.—Reichenbach's iris
* Iris revoluta Colas.
* Iris sambucina L.
* Iris scariosa Willd. ex Link
* Iris schachtii Markgr.
* Iris suaveolens Boiss. & Reut. (including I. iliensis)
* Iris subbiflora Brot.
* Iris taochia Woronow ex Grossh.
* Iris timofejewii Woronow
* Iris variegata L.—Hungarian iris
It also includes thousands of ornamental plant cultivars, which have been divided into various height categories.
* MDB – Miniature dwarf bearded
* SDB – Standard dwarf bearded
* IB – Intermediate bearded
* BB – Border bearded
* MTB – Miniature tall bearded
* TB – Tall bearded

## Psammiris

This section of irises was first described by Spach. Most of the Irises come from Russia and Northwest China. Mostly rhizomatous, and flowering in late spring. 'Psammiris' is derived from the Greek word psammos for sand. The type species for this section is Iris arenaria
It includes;
| Scientific name | Distribution |
| Iris arenaria Waldst. 1801 and Kit. | Hungary, Austria, Romania, Czech Republic and Ukraine. |
| Iris bloudowii Bunge. 1830 | Russia (Siberia), Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China (Xinjiang) |
| Iris curvifolia Zhao | China (Xinjiang) |
| Iris humilis Georgi 1775 | China ( Heilongjiang, Jilin, Nei Monggol, Ningxia and Xinjiang), Russia (Buryatia, Chita, Irkutsk, Magadan, Primorye and Tuva.), Mongolia, Japan, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, and Romania |
| Iris kamelinii Alexeeva 2006 | Mongolia |
| Iris mandshurica Maxim. 1880 | China (Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning), Korea, Russia |
| Iris potaninii Maxim. 1880 | Russia (Siberia), Mongolia and China (Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, Xizang ) |
| Iris vorobievii N.S.Pavlova 1987 | Russia (Primorye, Primorsky Krai) |

## Oncocyclus

Oncocyclus irises are rhizomatous perennials. They also generally need rich soils that drain easy and are in full sun. Most also prefer a dry period after flowering. The Oncocyclus irises are mostly from Turkey, Caucasus and Iran. The plants usually have only one flower, which is veined or spotted. Some of these species have been bred with bearded irises to create unique colours and markings. Oncocyclus is a Greek word, with onco meaning mass, or bulk, and cyclus meaning circle. In 1846, the term 'Oncocyclus' was first used by C.H. Siemssen as the Genus Oncocyclus in 1846 in Botanische Zeitung. Baker then re-classified it to a subgenus in 1877, than Dykes lowered it to a section in 1914, where it currently remains.
| Image | Scientific name | Distribution |
| | Iris acutiloba C.A.Mey. 1831 (including I. ewbankiana ) | Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Dagestan, Iran |
| | Iris antilibanotica Dinsmore 1933 publ. 1934 | Syria |
| | Iris assadiana Chaudhary, Kirkw. & C.Weymolauth 1975 publ. 1976 | Syria |
| | Iris auranitica Dinsmore 1933 publ. 1934 | Syria |
| | Iris atrofusca Bak. 1889 | Israel, Palestine, and Jordan. |
| | Iris atropurpurea Bak. 1889 | Israel |
| | Iris barnumiae Bak. & Fost. | Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, and Turkey. |
| | Iris basaltica Dinsmore 1933 publ. 1934 | Iran, Iraq, Lebanon-Syria, Turkey |
| | Iris bismarckiana Reg. 1890 – Nazareth iris | Israel, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria |
| | Iris bostrensis Mouterde 1955 | Syria and Jordan |
| | Iris camillae Grossh. 1928 | Azerbaijan |
| | Iris cedreti Dinsm. ex Chaudhary 1972 | Lebanon |
| | Iris damascena Mouterde 1966 | Syria (Jabl Qasyoun) |
| | Iris gatesii Foster 1890 | Turkey and Iraq |
| | Iris grossheimii Woronow ex Grossh. 1928 | Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. |
| ] | Iris haynei Baker 1876 – Gilboa iris | Israel and Palestine |
| | Iris heylandiana Boiss. & Reut. 1882 | Iraq |
| | Iris hermona Dinsmore 1933 publ. 1934 – Hermon iris | Israel and Syria. |
| | Iris iberica Hoffm. 1808 | Armenia, eastern Georgia, and western Azerbaijan. |
| | Iris kirkwoodi Chaudhary 1972 (including I. calcarea) | Syria and Turkey |
| | Iris lortetii Barbey ex Boiss. 1882 | Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria |
| | Iris mariae Barbey. 1891 | Israel, Egypt and Palestine |
| | Iris meda Stapf 1885 | Iran and Azerbaijan. |
| | Iris nigricans Dinsm. 1933 publ. 1934 | Jordan |
| | Iris paradoxa Steven 1817 | Iran, Turkey, Armenia and in Azerbaijan. |
| | Iris petrana Dinsm. 1933 publ. 1934 | Jordan and Israel. |
| | Iris sari Schott ex Bak. 1876 | Turkey |
| | Iris susiana L. 1753 – mourning iris | Lebanon, Syria and Turkey |
| | Iris westii Dinsm. 1933 publ. 1934 | Lebanon |
| | Iris yebrudii Dinsm. ex Chaud. 1972 | Syria |

## Regelia

Mostly from the mountainous regions of Iran, Afghanistan and the Altai Mountains. Most irises have a stem that has 2 flowers. It was named in 1904 by Robert Lynch in his book The Book of The Iris after Dr Regel. The type species for this section is Iris korolkowii
| Scientific name | Distribution |
| Iris afghanica Wend 1972 | Afghanistan |
| Iris darwasica Regel 1884 | Tajikistan and northern Afghanistan |
| Iris heweri Grey-Wilson & B. Mathew 1974 | Afghanistan. |
| Iris hoogiana Dykes 1916 | Turkestan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan |
| Iris korolkowii Regel | Afghanistan and Uzbekistan |
| Iris kuschkensis Grey-Wilson & B. Mathew 1974 | Afghanistan. |
| Iris lineata Foster ex Regel 1887 | Tajikistan and Afghanistan |
| Iris stolonifera Maxim. 1880 | Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan |
Hybrids of Regelia irises and Oncocyclus irises are known as Regelicyclous.

## Hexapogon

Mostly from the desert area of Central Asia, Iran and Afghanistan. The type species for this section is Iris falcifolia Most irises have beards on the falls and standards. Etymologically, hexa refers to the number 6 and pogon refers to the Greek word for beard.
| Image | Scientific name | Distribution |
| | Iris falcifolia Bunge 1852 | Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. |
| | Iris longiscapa Ledeb. 1852 | Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan |

## Pseudoregelia

Mostly from the mountainous regions of Eastern Asia. Most irises have flowers that have blotches or colour spots on. The type species for this section is Iris tigridia
| Scientific name | Distribution |
| Iris cuniculiformis Noltie & K.Y.Guan 1995 | China (Sichuan, Yunnan) |
| Iris dolichosiphon Noltie 1990 | China (Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan), Bhutan, India and Myanmar |
| Iris goniocarpa Bak. 1876 | China (Gansu, Hubei, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Xizang), Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, India (Sikkim) |
| Iris hookeriana Fost. 1887 | Pakistan (Chitral, Swat, Gilgit, Hazara), India (Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir). |
| Iris ivanovae Doronkin 1987 | Russia, China, and Mongolia |
| Iris kemaonensis Wall. 1839 | China (Xizang), Bhutan, India (Kashmir) and Nepal |
| Iris leptophylla Lingelsheim 1922 | China (Gansu, Sichuan) |
| Iris narcissiflora Diels. 1924 | China (Sichuan) |
| Iris psammocola Y.T.Zhao 1992 | China (Ningxia) |
| Iris sikkimensis Dykes 1913 (Iris hookeriana x Iris kumaonensis.) | India (Sikkim) |
| Iris tigridia Bunge ex Ledeb. 1829 | China(Gansu, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Qinghai, Shanxi, Sichuan), Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia |