Bull. Natl. Mus. Nat. Sci., Ser. B, 35(4), pp. 205–209, December 22, 2009

Tobata-ayame: A New Variety of Iris sanguinea Hornem.
from Northern Kyushu, JapanShinobu Akiyama and Tsukasa Iwashina
Department of Botany, National Museum of Nature and Science,
Amakubo 4–1–1, Tsukuba, 305–0005 Japan
E-mail: akiyama@kahaku.go.jp

Abstract Iris sanguinea Hornem. var. tobataensis S. Akiyama & Iwashina (Iridaceae), a dwarf
plant with large flowers (5–7 cm across), from northern Kyushu, is described as new.
Key words : extinct plant, Iris sanguinea var. tobataensis, new Iris, threatened plant.

An undescribed species of Iris, known locallyas “Tobata-ayame” or “Kozomino-no-ko-kakitsubata” occurs in Tobata, Kitakyushu City,
Fukuoka Pref., northern Kyushu. As early as1875 this Iris was reported to grow in Kozomino,
Fukuoka Pref., and at that time was called “Kokakitsubata” (Anonymous, 1875). According to
the homepage of the city of Kitakyushu(http.//www.city.kitakyushu.jp), wild populationsof this Iris have been completely lost, although it
has been maintained under cultivation. The reason that it is undescribed appears to be due to its
misidentification as Iris rossii Baker. Although
Tobata in Kitakyushu City is listed as one of thelocalities for I. rossii (Otaki, 1989), I. rossii has
not been reported from there, but recently wehave become aware of a plant called “Tobataayame” which is similar to I. sanguinea
Hornem., but easily distinguished from var. sanguinea by its shorter stature, 10–15 cm tall, atflowering time (Kimura, 2005).
Two dwarf species of Iris are known fromJapan, I. rossii, with flowers 3.5–4 cm across, andI. gracilipes A. Gray, with flowers ca. 4 cm
across. These two species are easily distinguished by the presence or absence of a crest-likeappendage on the outer perianth segments. Irisrossii, occurring in Japan, Korea and China, hasflowers ca. 3.5–4 cm across without crest-likeappendages. In Japan the range of I. rossii is disjunct and limited; the site of most of its occur-rences are preserved as natural monuments(Satake, 1982; Otaki, 1989). Tobata-ayame resembles I. rossii in its dwarf stature and in theouter perianth segments without a crest-like appendage, but differs from the latter in having
larger flowers, 5–7 cm across.
Although Iris sanguinea Hornem. (var.
sauguinea Hornem. and var. yixingensis Y. T.
Zhao) is a medium sized species, the color andshape of the flowers of Tobata-ayame are indistinguishable from that species. It is also noticeable that a dwarf cultivar ‘Pumila’ is known in I.
sanguinea (Ohashi et al., 2008). ‘Pumila’,
Chabo-ayame in Japanese, also called I.
nertschinskia Lodd. var. pumila Makino (Ishii,1949; Tuyama, 1951) or I. sanguinea var. pumila(Makino) Tomino (Tomino, 1980; Otaki, 1989),
is characterized by its dwarf stature and flowers
nearly as tall as the its leaves. In Tobata-ayame
the flowering stems are conspicuously shorter(2–3 cm) than the leaves and the leaves areapparently narrower and shorter (10–25 cm  3–5mm) than in var. sanguinea, var. yixingensis, andcultivar ‘Pumila’. In a study of the flower andleaf flavonoids using high performance liquid
chromatography, Mizuno and Iwashina found theflavonoid composition of the Iris from Tobata tobe different from the flavonoids of I. sanguinea
var. sanguinea (Mizuno and Iwashina, unpublished data).
In China and Korea there are several species ofca. 2 cm, deeply bifid

2.5–3 cm, bifid

Japan, Korea, northeastern China, andeastern Siberia

ca. 2.5 cm, bifid

Japan (northernKyushu)

Style branches

Distribution

Japan, Korea, China(eastern Liaoning)ca. 10 mm

ca. 10 mm

ca. 12–17 mm

ca. 12 mm

Ovary

ca. 2.5 cm

ca. 15 mm

1.8–2 cm

Korea, China, Mongo- China (southwesternlia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Gansu, northeasterneastern EuropeQinghai)

3.5–4 cmca. 2.5 cm

ca. 1.5 cm

2–2.5 cm

China (Zhejiang)

to 14 cm

5.5–7 cmpale violet

3,10–15ca. 15 mm

narrowly oblanceolate, oblanceolate or narrowly
3–3.5 cm5–8 mm
obovate, ca. 6 cm1–2 cm

3–6 cm

4.5–5 cm

violet3,green,
6–106–18 mm

2–3 mm wide not
not or only slightly
emerging above ground, emerging above ground,
1- or 2-flowered
1- or 2-flowered

China, Mongolia, Russia, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Iranca. 4 cmca. 12 mm

ca. 2.5 cm

erect, narrowly oblance- narrowly oblanceolate, oblanceolate,olate,
4.5–5 cm
ca. 3 cmca. 2.5 cm

ca. 2 cm

erect, elliptic-oblanceo- erect, elliptic-oblanceo- erect, elliptic-oblanceo- erect, oblong,ca. 2 cmlate,latelate,
3–5 cmca. 2.5 cm

Stamens

Inner segments

oblanceolate,ca. 4 cm8–10 mm

narrowly obovate,ca. 3 cmwidely obovate

widely obovate,
3.5–5 cm2.5–3.5 cm

Limb of outer segments obovate,ca. 3.5 cmca. 16 mm

5–15 mm

4–6 cmvery short

ca. 8 mm

ca. 8 mm

Perianth tube

5–5.5 cm

3.5–4 cm

5.5–6 cm

7–10 cm

5–7 cmFlower size

violetpurplepurplePurple, but sometimes
pale purple or white

Flower color

2,green, reddish purple
at margins,
2–3.5 cm8–10 mm

2–20 cm,
2- or 3-leaved,
1-flowered

blue-purple to violet

2,2 or 3,
reddish brown on outer green,
4–7 cm5–8 mmside, bluish white on
inner, 6–7 cm7–9 mm

Spathes2,green,
4–7 cm10–15 mm

2–3 cm,2- or 3-leaved,2-flowered

Flowering stem

2,whitish,ca. 2 cmca. 8 mm

5–15cm,1–3-leaved,
1-flowered

linear, 3–5 veins distict, linear, midvein absent, linear, midvein absent
5–25 cm long
7–25 cm long,
20–40 cm long,
1–3 mm wide
ca. 3 mm wide

knobbly

linear, 2(-4) veins distict, 4–20 cm long,
2–6 mm wide

40–60 mm,1- or 2-leaved,
1- or 2-flowered

linear, 30–50 cm long,
2–4 mm wide

knobbly

creeping, branched

I. loczyi

creeping, slenderI. quinghainica

I. ruthenica[Ko-kakitsubata]I. rossii[Ehime-ayame]

30–60 cm,2–4-leaved,
2- or 3-floweredlinear, 1 (or 2) vein dis- linear, midvein indistinct, 30–50 cm long,tinct, 10–25 cm long,
5–10 mm wide
3–5 mm wide

Leavescreeping

creeping

creeping

RhizomeI. sanguinea var.
yixingensis

I. sanguinea var.
sanguinea[Ayame]Comparison among Iris sanguinea, including a new variety, I. rossii, I. gracilipes, I. ruthenica, I. quinghainica and I. loczyi

I. sanguinea var.
tobataensis[Tobata-ayame]

Table 1.

206
Shinobu Akiyama and Tsukasa IwashinaTobata-ayame: A New Variety of Iris sanguinea

207

Fig. 1. Holotype of Iris sanguinea Hornem. var. tobataensis S. Akiyama & Iwashina (Japan. Fukuoka Pref.,cultivated, T. Iwashina, 27 Apr. 2009, TNS).

dwarf Iris with purple flowers such as I. rossii(Qian et al., 1985; Zhao et al., 2000; Lee, 2006).
One of them, Iris ruthenica Ker-Gawl (Japanesename: Ko-kakitsubata), with small flowers (3–5.5cm across) and the outer perianth segments (8–10mm wide) with a narrow limb, is cultivated inJapan. Iris qinghainica Y. T. Zhan from southwestern Gansu and northeastern Qinghai also has
rather small flowers (4.5–5 cm across) and theouter perianth segments (5–8 mm wide) with anarrow wing. Iris loczyi Kanitz from Gansu, Nei
Mongol, Ningxia, Qinghai, Sichuan, Xinjiang
and Xizang has 5.5–7 cm across but its leaves are
20–40 cm long. The inner perianth segments are
4.5–5 cm long and the perianth tube is 14 cmlong. All of them are easily distinguishable from
Tobata-ayame by the various features mentioned(Table 1).
Tobata-ayame and I. sanguinea are consideredto be conspecific, but the large flowers, smallleaves, and short flowering stem (Figs. 1 and 2),
distinguished it as a variety, Iris sanguinea var.
tobataensis, which we describe here. The epithet
tobataensis reflects the name of the type locality,Tobata.
Iris sanguinea Hornem. var. tobataensis S.
Akiyama & Iwashina, var. nov.
[Figs. 1 & 2]

A typo (var. sanguinea) caulibus floriferis conspicue brevioribus cum foliis brevis angustatisque bene differt. A Iride rossii Baker caule
florifero floribus duobus amplioribus maxime

208Shinobu Akiyama and Tsukasa Iwashina

Fig. 2.

Iris sanguinea var. tobataensis, cultivated in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Pref., Apr. 2009.

5–7 cm dimetiens satis diagnoscenda.
Type: Japan. Fukuoka Pref., Kitakyushu, cultivated in Tobata Ayame Park, (T. Iwashina, 27Apr. 2009, TNS-holo).
Herbs, perennial. Rhizome somewhat creeping. Roots whitish, fibrous. Stems with pale
brown fibrous remnants basally. Leaves linear,with 1 or 2 distinct veins, 10–25 cm long, 3–5mm wide. Flowering stems 2–3 cm tall at flowering, elongating after flowering, with 2 or 3
leaves. Spathes 2, whitish, ca. 2 cm  8 mm,membranaceous. Pedicel 1.5–2 cm long. Flowers
usually 2, purple, but sometimes pale purple orwhite, 5–7 cm across: perianth tube ca. 8 mm
long: outer segments spreading; limb purple, ca.
3.5 cm  ca. 16 mm, white or yellow basally,
with dark purple veins. Inner segments erect,purple, elliptic-oblanceolate, ca. 2.5 cm long:ovary ca. 12 mm long: style 3-lobed, branched,ca. 2.5 cm long, bifid, minutely denticulate. Flowers late April to mid May in cultivation.
Habit: Known only from cultivation.
Distribution: Japan. Kyushu. Fukuoka Pref.,Kitakyushu City, Tobata (known only from thetype locality, extinct in the wild).

Acknowledgements
We are indebted to Mr. Kazuaki Tsunemori forthe opportunity to study this unique Iris and toMrs. Haruhiko Kimura and Hiroshi Shimizu (theJapan Iris Society) for valuable information. We
are also grateful to Dr. Hideaki Ohba, ProfessorEmeritus, University of Tokyo, for giving valuable comments and correcting the Latin diagnosis and to Dr. David E. Boufford, Harvard University Herbaria, for reading the manuscript. We
thank to the curator of the herbarium, Universityof Tokyo, for allowing us the use of specimens.
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