Hermodactylus

<i>Iris tuberosa</i>

Iris tuberosa

Species of flowering plant

Iris tuberosa (formerly Hermodactylus tuberosus) is a species of tuberous flowering plant of the genus Iris, with the common names snake's-head,[4] snake's-head iris,[5] widow iris, black iris, or velvet flower-de-luce.

Quick Facts Iris tuberosa, Scientific classification ...
Iris tuberosa
Iris tuberosa

Distribution

A native of the Mediterranean region, it is found in the northern Mediterranean littoral and western Europe.[6]

It can be found in Albania, France, Greece, and Italy.[7]

Cultivation

It is grown from tubers planted in the autumn. It grows best in full sun to partial shade, and requires well-drained soil. It can naturalise in grassy areas but grows well in rock gardens or containers.[8] It is a common ornamental garden plant, flowering in early spring. It is rather tender in the UK.[9]

Taxonomic history

After being split off from the genus Iris in the nineteenth century into a separate genus,[10] Hermodactylus, it has most recently been returned to the genus Iris,[11][12] following molecular studies at Kew.[13] According to the proposed molecular classification of irises of Tillie, Chase and Hall,[13] this species is now best seen as a member of the subgenus Hermodactyloides, the reticulate-bulbed bulbous irises.

References

  1. [1]
    GBIF: Hermodactylus tuberosus
  2. [2]
    "Iris tuberosa var. longifolia (Sweet) ined". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  3. [3]
    "Iris tuberosa var. tuberosa". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  4. [4]
    Thomas Ignatius M. Forster (1828)Circle of the seasons, and perpetual key to the calendar and almanack, p. 162, at Google Books
  5. [5]
    BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  6. [6]
    "Plants Profile - Hermodactylus tuberosus (L.) Salisb. (Iridaceae) - Bellavedova - Widow Iris". luirig.altervista.org. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
  7. [7]
    "Iris tuberosa L. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
  8. [8]
    Paghat's Garden Paghat's Garden: Snake's-head or Widow Iris
  9. [9]
    Caledonian Horticultural Society, Edinburgh Memoirs, Volume 3 (1823), p. 251, at Google Books
  10. [10]
    David Joyce: The Genus Iris
  11. [11]
    Pacific Bulb Society
  12. [12]
    "Is It Clear, My Friend?". Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Retrieved 3 Sep 2011.
  13. [13]
    Tillie N, Chase MW, Hall T. 2002 Molecular studies in the genus Iris L.: a preliminary study. Ann. Bot. n.s. (Italy) 1. (2): 105–112 (2001)

Bibliography

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This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Hermodactylus, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.