Iris is a
genusIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
of between 200–300
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
of
flowering plantThe flowering plants or angiosperms are the most diverse group of land plants. The flowering plants and the gymnosperms are the only extant groups of seed plants...
s with showy
flowerA flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds...
s. It takes its name from the
GreekGreek , an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, is the language of the Greeks. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. In its ancient form, it is the language of classical...
word for a
rainbowA rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines onto droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere...
, referring to the wide variety of flower colors found among the many species. As well as being the scientific name,
iris is also very widely used as a common name; for one thing, it refers to all
Iris species, though some plants called thus belong to other closely related genera. In North America, a common name for irises is
flags, while the plants of the
subgenusIn biology, a subgenus is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. See rank and rank .In zoology, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the generic and specific name: e.g...
Scorpiris are widely known as
junos, particularly in
horticultureHorticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation. Some would say that horticulture is the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant...
. It is a popular garden flower in the United States.
The genera
Belamcanda (blackberry lily),
Hermodactylus (snake's head iris),
NeomaricaNeomarica is a genus of 16 species of plants in family Iridaceae, native to tropical regions of western Africa, and Central and South America, with the highest diversity in Brazil....
(walking iris) and
Pardanthopsis are sometimes included in
Iris.
Description
The genus is widely distributed throughout the north temperate zone. Their
habitatThe term habitat has a number of meanings:* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows** Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
s are considerably varied, ranging from cold and
montaneIn biogeography, montane is the highland area located below the subalpine zone. Montane regions generally have cooler temperatures and often have higher rainfall than the adjacent lowland regions, and are frequently home to distinct communities of plants and animals.The term "montane" means "of the...
regions to the grassy slopes, meadowlands and
riverbankRiverbank may refer to:*Riverbank, California*Riverbank, former name of Bryte, California*The RiverBank...
s of
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
, the
Middle EastThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, southeastern Europe, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and northern
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
,
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
and across
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
.
Irises are
perennialA perennial plant or perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. When used by gardeners or horticulturalists, this term applies specifically to perennial herbaceous plants...
herbA herb is a plant that is valued for flavor, scent, or other qualities. Herbs are used in cooking, as medicines, and for spiritual purposes....
s, growing from creeping
rhizomeIn botany, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
s (rhizomatous irises), or, in drier climates, from
bulbA bulb is an underground vertical shoot that has modified leaves that are used as food storage organs by a dormant plant....
s (bulbous irises). They have long, erect flowering
stemsA stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant. The stem is normally divided into nodes and internodes, the nodes hold buds which grow into one or more leaves, inflorescence , cones or other stems etc. The internodes act as spaces that distance one node from another...
, which may be simple or branched, solid or hollow, and flattened or have a circular cross-section. The rhizomatous species usually have 3–10 basal, sword-shaped leaves growing in dense clumps. The bulbous species have cylindrical, basal leaves.
The
inflorescenceAn inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s are fan-shaped and contain one or more symmetrical six-lobed
flowerA flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds...
s. These grow on a
pedicelA pedicel is a stem that attaches single flowers to the main stem of the inflorescence. It is the branches or stalks that hold each flower in an inflorescence that contains more than one flower....
or lack a footstalk. The three
sepalA sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Sepals in most flowers are green and lie under the more conspicuous petals. As a collective unit the sepals form a calyx, whereas the collection of petals is called the corolla...
s, which are spreading or droop downwards, are referred to as "falls". They expand from their narrow base, which in some of the rhizomatous irises has a "beard" (a tuft of short upright extensions growing in its midline), into a broader expanded portion ("limb"), often adorned with veining, lines or dots. The three, sometimes reduced,
petalA petal is one member or part of the corolla of a flower. The corolla is the name for all of the petals of a flower; the inner perianth whorl, term used when this is not the same in appearance as the outermost whorl and is used to attract pollinators based on its bright color...
s stand upright, partly behind the sepal bases. They are called "standards". Some smaller iris species have all six lobes pointing straight outwards, but generally, limb and standards differ markedly in appearance. They are united at their base into a floral tube that lies above the
ovaryIn the flowering plants, an ovary is a part of the female reproductive organ of the flower or gynoecium. Specifically, it is the part of the carpel which holds the ovule and is located above or below or at the point of connection with the base of the petals and sepals...
. The
stylesA flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds...
divide towards the apex into petaloid branches; this is significant in
pollinationPollination is the process by which pollen is transferred in plants, thereby enabling fertilization and sexual reproduction. Pollen grains, which contain the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself...
.
The iris flower is of special interest as an example of the relation between flowering plants and pollinating
insectInsects are arthropods, having a hard exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae. They are the most diverse group of animals on the planet and include more than a million species that are already described. Insects represent more than half of all...
s. The shape of the flower and the position of the
pollenPollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement between the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...
-receiving and stigmatic surfaces on the outer petals form a landing-stage for a flying insect, which in probing the perianth for nectar, will first come in contact of perianth, then with the stigmatic stamens in one whorled surface which is borne on an ovary formed of three carpels. The shelf-like transverse projection on the inner whorled underside of the stamens is beneath the over-arching style arm below the stigma, so that the insect comes in contact with its pollen-covered surface only after passing the stigma; in backing out of the flower it will come in contact only with the non-receptive lower face of the stigma. Thus, an insect bearing pollen from one flower will, in entering a second, deposit the pollen on the stigma; in backing out of a flower, the pollen which it bears will not be rubbed off on the stigma of the same flower.
The iris fruit is a
capsuleIn botany a capsule is a type of simple, dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. A capsule is a dehiscent structure composed of two or more carpels, that, at maturity, split apart to release the seeds within...
which opens up in three parts to reveal the numerous seeds within. In some species, these bear an
arilAn aril is any specialized outgrowth from the funiculus that covers or is attached to the seed...
.
Systematics and taxonomy
Up to 300 species – many of them natural hybrids – have been placed in the genus
Iris. Modern classifications, starting with W. R. Dykes' 1913 book, have subdivided them. Dykes referred to the major subgroupings as
sectionsIn botany, a section is a low-level taxonomic rank directly below subgenus. See rank and rank . It is typically used to help organize very large genera, which may have hundreds of species....
, but later authors have generally called them subgenera, while essentially retaining his groupings. Like some older sources, the influential classification by G. I. Rodionenko removed some groups (particularly the bulbous irises) to separate genera, but even if this is done the genus remains large and several subgenera, sections and/or subsections are recognised within it.
In general, modern classifications usually recognise six subgenera, of which five are restricted to the
Old WorldThe Old World consists of those parts of Earth known to Europeans, Asians, and Africans in the 15th century.-Regions:The Old World includes Europe, Asia, and Africa , plus surrounding islands...
; the sixth (subgenus
Limniris) has a
HolarcticThe Holarctic ecozone refers to the habitats found throughout the northern continents of the world as a whole. This region is divided into the Palearctic, consisting of Northern Africa and all of Eurasia, with the exception of Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, and the Nearctic,...
distribution. The two largest subgenera are further divided into sections.
Subgenus Iris
Bearded rhizomatous irises
Section Iris
Subgenus
LimnirisSubgenus Limniris is one subgenus of beardless irises, which don't have hair on their drooping sepals, also called their falls.-Taxonomy:The subgenus Limniris is subdivided into the following sections, subsections, and series:...
Beardless rhizomatous irises
Section Limniris
Section
Lophiris
Iris confusaIris confusa, also known as the Bamboo iris, is a species of iris found in Western China.The flowers of the species may range from white to a soft lavender in color, with orange-yellow crests and purple dots. The plant's broad, shiny leaves are attached to bamboo-like stems....
– Bamboo Iris
Iris cristataIris cristata is of the genus Iris, subgenus Limniris. In North America, it is native to areas of the Eastern United States, south of where the Wisconsinan glaciation spread about 11,000 years ago...
– Crested Iris
Iris gracilipes
A.Gray
Iris japonica
Thunb.
Iris lacustris
– Dwarf Lake IrisThe Dwarf Lake Iris is a tiny iris species endemic to the northern shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. In 1998 it was designated the state wildflower of Michigan, where the vast majority of populations exist...
Iris milesii
Foster
Iris tectorum
Maxim. – Wall Iris
Iris tenuis
S.Wats. – Clackamas Iris
Iris wattii
Baker ex Hook.f.
Subgenus
Xiphium
Smooth-bulbed bulbous irises. Formerly genus Xiphion
.
Section Xiphium
- Iris boissieri Henriq
- Iris filifolia Boiss.
- Iris juncea Poir.
- Iris latifolia
The English Iris, Iris latifolia, also known as I. xiphiodes and I. anglica, is a common and attractive iris of the Pyrenees and Northwestern Spain. It is widely cultivated for its beautiful flowers.The English Iris grows to a height of 50 cm...
– English Iris
- Iris serotina Willk. in Willk. & Lange
- Iris tingitana Boiss. & Reut. – Morocco Iris
- Iris xiphium
Iris xiphium, commonly known as the Spanish Iris, is an iris native to Spain.It is bulbous and bears handsome blue and yellow flowers, though they are not so large as those of I. xiphiodes. This species is also known as the Small Bulbous-rooted Iris and many hybrids are known as Dutch Iris...
– Spanish Iris, Dutch Iris, Small Bulbous-rooted Iris
Subgenus Nepalensis
Bulbous irises. Formerly genus
Junopsis.
Section Nepalensis
Iris collettii Hook.
Iris decora Wall.
Subgenus
Scorpiris
Smooth-bulbed bulbous irises known as "junos". Formerly genus Juno.
Section Scorpiris
Subgenus Hermodactyloides
Reticulate-bulbed bulbous irises. Formerly genus
Iridodictyum.
Section
Hermodactyloides
Iris bakeriana
Foster
Iris danfordiae
(Baker) Boiss.
Iris histrio
Rchb.f.
Iris histrioides
(G.F.Wilson) S.Arn.
Iris kolpakowskiana
Regel
Iris pamphylica
Hedge
Iris reticulata
Bieb.
Iris vartanii
Fost.
Iris winogradowii
Fomin
In horticulture
Irises are extensively grown as
ornamental plantOrnamental plants are typically grown in the flower garden or as house plants. Most commonly they are grown for the display of their flowers. Other common ornamental features include leaves, scent, fruit, stem and bark. In some cases, unusual features may be considered ornamental, such as the...
s in
homeA garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form is known as a residential garden. Western gardens are almost universally...
and
botanical gardenBotanical gardens grow a wide variety of plants primarily to categorize and document for scientific purposes. Botanists and horticulturalists tend the flora and maintain the garden's library and herbarium of dried and documented plant material. Botanical gardens may also serve to entertain and...
s.
Presby Memorial Iris GardensPresby Memorial Iris Gardens is a nonprofit, volunteer-run living museum specializing in iris flowers, located at 474 Upper Mountain Avenue, Montclair in Essex County, New Jersey...
in
New JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, and to the east by the Hudson River, Upper New York Bay, the Kill Van Kull, Newark Bay, the Arthur Kill, Raritan Bay, Sandy Hook Bay, Westchester County, New York City, Long Island, and...
, for example, is a living iris museum with over 10,000 plants, while in
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
the most famous iris garden is arguably the
Giardino dell'IrisThe Giardino dell'Iris is a botanical garden specializing in the cultivation of iris flowers, symbol of Florence since 1251. It is located on the corner of Viale dei Colli and Piazzale Michelangelo in Florence, Italy, and open daily without charge from May 2-20 every year.The garden is owned by the...
in
FlorenceFlorence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence...
(
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
) which every year hosts one of the most famous iris breeders' competitions in the world.
The most commonly found garden iris is the bearded German Iris (I. germanica
), a hybridogenic species, and its numerous cultivarA cultivar is a cultivated plant that has been selected and given a unique name because of desired characteristics; it is usually distinct from similar plants and when propagated it retains those characteristics....
s. Various wild forms and naturally occurring hybrids of the Sweet Iris (I. pallida
) and the Hungarian Iris (I. variegata) form the basis of most all modern hybrid bearded irises. Median forms of bearded iris (intermediate bearded, or IB; miniature tall bearded, or MTB; etc.) are derived from crosses between tall and dwarf varieties.
The bearded irises are easy to cultivate and propagate, and have become very popular in gardens. They grow in any good free garden soil, the smaller and more delicate species needing only the aid of turf ingredients, either peat or loam, to keep it light and open in texture. The earliest to bloom are species like I. junonia
and I. reichenbachii
, which flower as early as February and March, followed by the dwarf forms of I. pumila
which blossom during March, April and May. During the latter month and the following one, most of the larger-growing "tall bearded" irises bloom, such as the German Iris and its variety florentina
, Sweet Iris, Hungarian Iris, Lemon-yellow Iris (I. flavescens
), Iris sambucina
, I. amoena
, and their natural and horticultural hybrids such as those described under names like I. neglecta
or I. squalens
and best united unter I. × lurida
.
The section Oncocyclus contains the cushion irises or royal irises, a group of plants noted for their large, strongly marked flowers. Between 30 and 60 species are classified in this section, depending on the authority. Compared with other irises the cushion varieties are scantily furnished with narrow sickle-shaped leaves and the flowers are usually borne singly on the stalks; they are often very dark and in some almost blackish. The cushion irises are somewhat fastidious growers, and to be successful with them they must be planted rather shallow in very gritty well-drained soil. They should not be disturbed in the autumn, and after the leaves have withered the roots should be protected from heavy rains until growth starts again naturally.
The section Regelia
, closely allied to the cushion irises, includes several garden hybrids with species in section Oncocyclus
, known as Regelio-cyclus
irises. They are best planted in September or October in warm sunny positions, the rhizomes being lifted the following July after the leaves have withered.
A truly red bearded iris remains an unattained goal despite frequent hybridizing and selection. There are species and selections, most notably based on the beardless rhizomatous Copper Iris (I. fulva
), which have a relatively pure red color. However, getting this color into a modern bearded iris breed has proven very difficult, and thus, the vast majority of irises are in the purple and blue range of the color spectrum, with yellow and whitish breeds also quite frequent.
Other beardless rhizomatous iris types commonly found in garden are the Siberian Iris (I. sibirica
) and its hybrids, and the Japanese IrisThe term "Japanese iris" encompasses three varieties of irises cultivated in gardens or growing wild in Japan: hanashōbu, kakitsubata and ayame.-Hanashōbu:...
(I. ensata
) and its hybrids. "Japanese irisThe term "Japanese iris" encompasses three varieties of irises cultivated in gardens or growing wild in Japan: hanashōbu, kakitsubata and ayame.-Hanashōbu:...
" is also a catch-all term for the Japanese Iris proper (hanashōbu
), the Blood Iris (I. sanguinea, ayame
) and the Rabbitear Iris (I. laevigata, kakitsubata
). I. unguicularis
is a late-winter-flowering species from AlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country located in North Africa. It is the largest country on the Mediterranean sea, the second largest on the African continent and the eleventh-largest country in the world in terms of land area.It is bordered by Tunisia in...
, with sky-blue flowers blotched with yellow, produced (in the Northern Hemisphere) from November to March or April. Yet another beardless rhizomatous iris popular in gardening is I. ruthenica, which has much the same requirements and characteristics as the "tall bearded" irises.
Many of the smaller species of bulbous iris, being liable to perish from excess of moisture, should have a well-drained bed of good but porous soil made up for them, in some sunny spot, and in winter should be protected by a covering of half-decayed leaves or fresh cocos-fibre refuse. To this group belong the "reticulate" irises with their characteristic bulbs, including I. danfordiae
, I. histrioides
, I. reticulata
and others, as well as the smmoth-bulbed I. filifolia
, which flower as early as February and March
Aromatic rhizomes
RhizomeIn botany, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
s of the German Iris (I. germanica
) and Sweet Iris (I. pallida) are traded as
orris rootOrris root is the root of some species of iris, grown principally in southern Europe: Iris germanica, Iris florentina, and Iris pallida. Once important in western herbal medicine, it is now used mainly as a fixative and base note in perfumery, as well as an ingredient in many brands of gin...
and are used in
perfumePerfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces a "pleasant" smell.-History:...
and medicine, though more common in ancient times than today. Today Iris
essential oilAn essential oil is a concentrated, hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile or ethereal oils, or simply as the "oil of" the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove. An oil is "essential" in the sense that it...
(absolute) from
flowerA flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds...
s are sometimes used in
aromatherapyAromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine that uses volatile plant materials, known as essential oils, and similar aromatic compounds from plants, for the purpose of improving a person's mood, cognitive function or health. Preliminary scientific evidence is growing in all these areas. An...
as
sedativeA sedative is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement.At higher doses it may result in slurred speech, staggering gait, poor judgment, and slow, uncertain reflexes...
medicines. The dried rhizomes are also given whole to babies to help in teething.
GinGin is a spirit flavoured primarily with juniper berries. Distilled gin is made by redistilling white grain spirit which has been flavoured with juniper berries. Compound gin is made by flavouring neutral grain spirit with juniper berries without redistilling.The most common style of gin,...
brands such as
Bombay SapphireBombay Sapphire is a brand of gin distributed by Bacardi, launched in 1987, having been named via a competitive process whereby a number of leading Madison Avenue agencies were played off against each other. The name hints at the origins of the gin's popularity in the India of the days of the...
and Magellan Gin use orris root and sometimes iris flowers for flavor and color.
For orris root production, iris rhizomes are harvested, dried, and aged for up to 5 years. In this time, the fats and oils inside the roots undergo degradation and oxidation, which produces many fragrant compounds that are valuable in perfumery. The scent is said to be similar to
violetsViola is a genus of flowering plants in the violet family Violaceae, with around 400–500 species distributed around the world. Most species are found in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, however viola species are also found in widely divergent areas such as Hawaii, Australasia, and the Andes in...
. The aged rhizomes are
steam-distilledDistillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in their volatilities in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....
which produces a thick oily compound, known in the perfume industry as "iris butter".
Iris rhizomes also contain notable amounts of terpenes, and organic acids such as
ascorbic acidAscorbic acid is a sugar acid with antioxidant properties. Its appearance is white to light-yellow crystals or powder, and it is water-soluble. One form of ascorbic acid is commonly known as vitamin C. The name is derived from a- and scorbutus , the disease caused by a deficiency of vitamin C...
,
myristic acidMyristic acid, also called tetradecanoic acid or 14:0 is a common saturated fatty acid with the molecular formula CH
312COOH. A myristate is a salt or ester of myristic acid....
, tridecylenic acid and
undecylenic acidUndecylenic / Undecenoic Acid is an organic unsaturated fatty acid derived from natural castor oil. It is the common name of the 10-undecenoic acid . It is used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and perfumery including anti-dandruff shampoos, anti-microbial powders and as a musk in...
. Iris rhizomes can be toxic. Larger Blue Flag (I. versicolor) and other species often grown in gardens and widely hybridized contain elevated amounts of the toxic
glycosideIn chemistry, glycosides are molecules in which a sugar is bound to a non-carbohydrate moiety, usually a small organic molecule. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides; which can be activated by enzyme hydrolysis....
iridinIridin is an isoflavone, a type of flavonoid. It is the 7-glucoside of irigenin and can be isolated from several species of irises like orris root, Iris florentina or Iris versicolor, also commonly known as the larger blue flag....
. These rhizomes can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and/or skin irritation, but poisonings are not normally fatal. Do not use iris rhizomes medicinally unless you are sure of the species.
In water purification
In water purification, Yellow Iris (I. pseudacorus) is used. The roots are usually planted in a substrate (e.g. lava-stone) in a reedbed-setup. The roots then improve water quality by consuming nutrient
pollutantsWater pollution is the contamination of water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and groundwater. All water pollution affects organisms and plants that live in these water bodies and in almost all cases the effect is damaging either to individual species and populations but also to the natural...
, such as from agricultural
runoffRun-off or runoff may refer to:* Surface runoff, the flow of water, from rain, snowmelt, or other sources, over land or butts* Runoff model , a mathematical model describing the rainfall-runoff relations of a rainfall catchment area or watershed* Bleed , printing that goes beyond the edge of the...
.
In art and symbolism
The artist
George GessertGeorge Gessert is one of the best-known artists in the contemporary art movement known as bio-art a/k/a BioArt. Initially Gessert began his career as a painter and printmaker, and began breeding plants as an artform in the late 1970s...
has specialised in breeding irises.
The artist
Vincent van GoghVincent Willem van Gogh was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter whose work had a far reaching influence on 20th century art for its vivid colors and emotional impact. He suffered from anxiety and increasingly frequent bouts of mental illness throughout his life, and died largely unknown, at the age...
painted several famous pictures of irises.
The American artist,
Joseph MasonJoseph Mason may refer to:* Joseph Mason , early American settler of Colorado* Joseph Mason , U.S. Representative from New York...
— a great friend of
John James AudubonJohn James Audubon was a French-American ornithologist, naturalist, hunter, and painter. He painted, catalogued, and described the birds of North America in a form far superior to what had gone before...
— painted a precise image of what was then known as the Lousianna Flag or Copper Iris (Iris cuprea
) to which Audubon subsequently added two Northern Paraula birds (parula americana
) for inclusion as Plate 15 in his Birds of AmericaBirds of America may refer to:*Birds of America , a book by John James Audubon*Birds of America , a 2008 film directed by Craig Lucas.*Birds of America , a 1971 novel by Mary McCarthy...
.
The artist Philip Hermogenes Calderon painted an iris in his 1856 work Broken Vows
; he followed the principles of the Pre-Raphaelite BrotherhoodThe Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was a group of English painters, poets, and critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais and Dante Gabriel Rossetti...
. An ancient belief is that the iris serves as a warning to be heeded, as it was named for the messenger of Olympus. It also conveys images of lost love and silent grief, for young girls were led into the afterlife by Iris. Broken Vows
was accompanied with poetry by Henry Wadsworth LongfellowHenry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American educator and poet whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and "Evangeline"...
when it was first exhibited.
The fleur-de-lisThe fleur-de-lis is a stylized lily or iris that is used as a decorative design or symbol. It may be "at one and the same time, political, dynastic, artistic, emblematic, and symbolic", especially in heraldry...
, a stylized iris, first occurs in its modern use as the emblem of the House of CapetFor a full history of the Capetian family, see Capetian dynasty.The House of Capet, or The Direct Capetian Dynasty, , also called The House of France , or simply the Capets, which ruled the Kingdom of France from 987 to 1328, was the most senior line of the Capetian dynasty - itself a derivative...
. The fleur-de-lis has been associated with France as Louis VIILouis VII, called the Younger or the Young, , was King of France, the son and successor of Louis VI . He ruled from 1137 until his death. He was a member of the House of Capet...
adopted it as a symbol in the 12th Century. The yellow fleur-de-lis reflects the Yellow Iris (I. pseudacorus), common in
Western EuropeWestern Europe is the collection of countries in the westernmost region of Europe, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a cultural entity—the region lying west of Central Europe...
. Contemporary uses can be seen in the
QuebecQuebec is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking identity and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
flag and the logo of the
New Orleans SaintsThe New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints play in the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League ....
professional football team, and on the flag of Saint Louis, Missouri.
The red fleur-de-lis in the coat-of-arms of
FlorenceFlorence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence...
(
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
) descends from the white iris which is native to Florence and which grew even in its city walls. This white iris, displayed against a red background, became the symbol of Florence until the
MediciThe House of Medici was a political dynasty, banking family and later royal house who first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici in the Republic of Florence during the late 14th century. The family originated in the Mugello region of the Tuscan countryside, gradually rising until...
family, to signal a change in political power, reversed the colors making the white one red and setting in motion a centuries-long breeding program to hybridize a red iris.
Furthermore, the fleur-de-lis is the almost-universal symbol of
ScoutingScouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, so that they may play constructive roles in society....
and one of the symbols adopted by the sorority,
Kappa Kappa GammaKappa Kappa Gamma is a college women's fraternity, founded at Monmouth College, in Monmouth, Illinois. Although the groundwork of the organization was developed as early as 1869, the 1876 Convention voted on October 13, 1870 as Founders Day, because no earlier charter date could be determined...
.
A stylized Yellow Iris is the symbol of
BrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the de facto capital city of the European Union and the largest urban area in Belgium...
, since historically, the important
Saint Gaugericus IslandSaint-Géry Island was the largest island in the Senne river in Brussels, Belgium. It was named after Saint Gaugericus of Cambrai, who built a chapel there ca. 580. Hence the name "Brussels", which comes from Bruocsella or Broekzele, meaning "settlement in the marsh"...
was carpeted in them. The iris symbol is now the sole feature on the
flag of the Brussels-Capital RegionThe Flag of the Brussels-Capital Region consists of a yellow Iris with a white outline upon a blue background. It was adopted by the Capital Region in 1991.-Origins and symbolism:...
.
An iris – species unspecified – is one of the state flowers of
TennesseeTennessee is a state located in the Southeastern United States. According to the 2008 census, it has a population of 6,214,888, an increase of nearly 9.5% since 2000. Tennessee is the 14th fastest growing state in the US and is ranked 17th by population. It is ranked 36th by total land area. In...
. Tradition holds that the particular iris symbolizing Tennessee is a purple
cultivarA cultivar is a cultivated plant that has been selected and given a unique name because of desired characteristics; it is usually distinct from similar plants and when propagated it retains those characteristics....
, to go alongside the wild-growing Purple Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata
) which is the state's other floral emblemIn a number of countries, plants have been chosen as symbols to represent specific geographic areas. Some countries have a country-wide floral emblem; others in addition have symbols representing subdivisions. Different processes have been used to adopt these symbols - some are conferred by...
.
The provincial flower of QuébecQuebec is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking identity and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
(CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
) is the Harlequin Blueflag (I. versicolor
), called iris versicolore
in French.
See also
External links
Iris cuprea
) from John James Audubon's Birds of America
Kew Checklist: Iris
Flora of North America: Iris
Flora of China: Iris
Flora of Pakistan: Iris
Flora of Nepal: Iris
Iris Species
A web site devoted to Irises, by David Payne-Joyce; includes plates from Dykes (1913).
The American Iris Society
Iris taxonomy in GBIF Biodiversity Data Portal
Historic Iris Preservation Society
Iris listings at Wild Flowers of Israel
Bearded Iris colors
Iris in Art and Culture
Gouvernement du Québec Emblèmes du Québec - Iris versicolor (french)